


Bloom

by takidaka



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: After the War Stuff, Anxiety, Autumn, Developing Relationship, Domestic, Eventual Smut, F/M, Festivals, Flower Crowns, Fluff, Gardens & Gardening, Grief/Mourning, Injury Recovery, Jealousy, Kindness, Nightmares, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Random Adventures w/ a Touch of Plot, Self-Esteem Issues, Sickfic, Zelda CURSES so prepare urself, a lil bit of angsty stuff, domestic af tbh, finally got a lil spicy and y'all are welcome, pretty dresses!!!, they're both sassy and stubborn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-06
Updated: 2018-09-30
Packaged: 2018-11-10 00:00:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 60,847
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11115639
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/takidaka/pseuds/takidaka
Summary: After the defeat of Calamity Ganon, Link and Zelda begin the reconstruction process of Hyrule. Between their travels across the country, their dependence on each other's strengths, and the natural likeness of their personalities, their relationship starts grow. After more than a century of separation, will their feelings for each other finally bring them closer together, or will past troubles ultimately drive them apart?





	1. Arrival

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is the result of a lot of little drabbles that I've been writing on for a while, and they're actually starting to take enough shape to turn into a small series of sorts. I have always been a rather religious supporter of ZeLink--hopefully you'll be able to tell. :)  
> These stories take place after the defeat of Calamity Ganon. . . They will mostly entail what Zelda and Link are up to after the final battle, the growth of their relationship and of the two themselves, and so forth. . . I don't really have a set plot in mind, so we'll just see what happens!!!  
> I hope y'all enjoy! :)

**ZELDA**

It was very strange to finally be at his side once again.

Not necessarily uncomfortable, but not homely or familiar, like I’d imagined it to be. Though he’d constantly be reminding me of recollections that we shared before the Calamity, I always felt that they were more for his own memory’s sake, rather than for the sake of conversation. From the way he looked sometimes as he struggled to recall the past--especially when I had to correct him--he was very unsettled. Perhaps I would be, too, if my hundred years’ worth of dreams had become so intertwined with reality that I failed to distinguish both.

Even more, he’d changed. We both had. Somehow, the passage of time had stopped for the two of us while he was sleeping, and we only really seemed to continue aging once I knew that he was awake once more. It was a strange thing, really; I felt it in my bones when his eyes fluttered open, and I felt it in the ache of my hips and the tightness of my dress around my bosom as the next two years passed. By the time I’d finally met him after the defeat of Ganon, I had the full-fledged shape of a woman; and though still a bit undeveloped, Link had grown by something of six inches, with limbs and muscles thick and broad, but still retaining the graceful shape that he’d always had. I felt as if, sometimes, when I looked upon him, that he was an ancient statue come to life, without a single imperfection.

Like this moment, as we were trotting along the dirt path on horseback in the late afternoon, the light of early sunset casting golden lines across the angles of his freckled face. We’d just passed through the Ash Swamp in an eerie mutual silence; I found myself shuddering whenever we came near the place. To think, a century before, he had almost died in my arms. We were then on the way to Kakariko Village to update Impa on our defeat of the Calamity, and to begin planning the reconstruction efforts of the kingdom.

“Link,” I finally began, trying to shake off the tension of moments before.

“Your Majesty?”

I looked over at him, unsurprised to find that he was staring off into the distant landscape, using his hawklike eyes to watch for enemies. “Now that we’ve been through everything that we have,” I said, "would you mind talking to me more often?” I turned my gaze back to direct Aegis, my steed. I was still stunned that Link had managed to find the descendant of my original horse, not to mention that he had trained it so well.

Apparently surprised by the question, his head swiveled around to stare at me. “What do you mean?”

A small smile upturned my lips. “Well. I know things are a bit awkward since we haven’t seen each other much at all for the past hundred years, and I just wanted to ask if you’d help me change that. I don’t want our relationship to always be so. . . Uncomfortable.”

His eyes were wide, and he stuttered as he replied. “D-did I say something out of place?”

“No, Link,” I laughed, shaking my head. “You needn’t worry about censoring yourself, anyway. No, rather, I’m trying to ask that you would please consider me your friend, rather than just a royal." Still smiling, I reached forward and began to braid Aegis's mane. 

Link was quiet for a few moments, but I could tell it was because he was thinking--not that he was withholding a reply.

"I must admit I feel the same way," he eventually replied, smiling brightly at me. "I get nervous when I have to speak so carefully and formally. But I would be honored to be your friend, Your Majesty."

We continued onward in easy chatter for a couple hours as I pointed out various flora and fauna in the landscape, happy to see that so many familiar things were still alive. Link would tell me anything he knew on the ones I asked about, and I’d do the same about little relics or symbols he inquired over, and we spent the rest of the ride to Kakariko teaching each other a bit about anything we’d learned over the past century. Since we first met again just a few days ago, I've been able to thoroughly enjoy observing Link's mature wisdom, so different, yet satisfyingly similar, to my own. And, as it turned out that he was actually quite humorous and quick-witted, once I gave him permission to speak honestly. It made me wonder the kinds of jokes and quips he’d kept to himself over the years, and I was sad to think that he'd likely kept his sense of humor under wraps from people for most of his life.

“‘Seal you later’? You really said that to a Gerudo sand seal trainer?” I laughed at one point as we were approaching the first gates of Kakariko. “What did she do?”

“I don’t think she minded much,” Link replied, smiling. “After all, I’d just paid her for a rental, so I don’t think she would’ve scolded me in the first place.”

“You’re ridiculous,” I continued to laugh. Then a sudden thought hit me. “Wait a moment. Isn’t the only sand seal rental business located inside the walls of Gerudo Town? How on earth did you get inside without them impaling you?”

Link’s grinning cheeks flushed despite himself. “That, Your Royal Majesty, is a story for another time. Kakariko is only a few minutes up ahead, and I think it’s just about time to meet Koko and Cottia at the gates.”

Still, I wasn't quite ready to let the prospect go. "My word--is that why I saw you pack a Gerudo outfit in your pack? I thought it might be a souvenir from a woman--"

"Given that I've never courted nor loved a Gerudo, I can thoroughly dismiss that prospect," he laughingly replied.

I laughed at his modesty--it was incredibly endearing. (And always had been.) "Would you, if you had the chance?"

He shrugged. "If I truly liked her, sure. But I've only truly liked one lady in my lifetime--more so than in a friendship-oriented manner, I mean. So I don't know if the opportunity would ever present itself."

There was immediately a sort of simultaneous dread and giddiness that swelled in my chest at the thought that, by the grace of Hylia, it could possibly be me. But that would be far too convenient. I did, however, remember the strong bond that he’d had with the Zora Princess Mipha long ago--and remembered it too well, and perhaps still too enviously, even a hundred years later.

"What about Your Highness?" He asked then, peering ahead for the little Sheikah sisters he’d told me about, hand shielding the sun from his eyes. I noticed that he had little blue gems hanging from the bottom of his earlobe; I probably wouldn’t haven’t seen them if it weren’t for the sunset illuminating the rich color within them. "If there was a town of voe--and only voe--but one must be in disguise to enter, would Your Majesty take the opportunity to sneak inside?"

I was quiet in thought for a few moments. "Admittedly, I've given this quite a lot of thought." His stunned expression me laugh again. "Tell me, have you ever heard of the princess’s role back during the War of Time?"

"I'm afraid I haven't."

"That's okay--people tend to emphasize the Hero, and somewhat rightly so," I began. "But I've always been interested in what my bloodline has done to aid the war effort with each return of Ganon, and so I researched it quite a bit in the later years of my education. And, as it turns out, to disguise herself from Ganon and her enemies, the Princess of Hyrule disguised herself as a Sheikah, and fought and aided the Hero in his quests as an adult."

Link nodded, looking impressed. "That's fantastic, but what does that have to do with crossdressing? Sheikah women have garb."

"No, as in she disguised herself in the men's uniform. It was actually quite similar to the one you possess, from what the texts say." I finished braiding the mane of Aegis and tied the final end off with a band; it was an intricate cascade of braids pulled back into a larger one, so it would keep the hair out of his face for quite some time. "So, I've always wondered what it'd be like to buy a Sheikah suit and pose as a man. . . If, well, for no better reason, to pretend to be someone else for a while."

Link, looking impressed, nodded at this. “I see. I could understand that.”

"You could?"

"Certainly. It'd be hard to count how many times I've wished I could escape my own destiny for a while."

We spent the next few minutes in comfortable thought, until another inquiry came to mind that I had been meaning to ask him for some time. “You know, I've been meaning to ask--why do you have your ears pierced?"

He smiled at the question. “I’m surprised that you didn’t know. In Sheikah culture, when a boy comes of age, his ears are pierced and he’s given blue earrings to wear. They’re symbols of maturity and are meant to provide protection to those who wear them.”

I glanced curiously at him and his ears. “You’re not Sheikah, though, are you?”

“As far as I know, I'm full-blooded Hylian. Regardless, I actually received these earrings from Impa once I had achieved knighthood. She did manage my training and supervise my assessments before the war, after all. She was, and still is, like my grandmother, in a way.”

“Hmm.” Reaching up, I felt the smooth skin on my ears, slightly dismayed that I’d forgotten that Link and Impa had known each other as warriors in the Army before all of the Calamity business had begun. “I’d always wanted to pierce mine. Father would never even consider it, but I’ve always thought earrings to be quite lovely. The Gerudo make some beautiful designs.”

“If Your Majesty would ever like for me to do so, all I’d need is a needle and a flame,” he replied simply.

“Really? You’d do that?”

“Of course.” He turned and smiled happily at me. “Why shouldn’t the beautiful Princess of Hyrule be able to wear all of the loveliest jewelry in the world?”

I tried to suppress the heat that threatened to climb to my face; I don’t think he realized just how flattering his complement was. Thankfully, however, at that moment, two young Sheikah girls ran out to greet us from the gates of Kakariko Village, excitedly waving their arms at the sight of the boy riding next to me.

“Link, Link! Koko made you a big plate of honeyed apples!” The taller one exclaimed, a smile radiant across her small features.

Her younger sister trailed after her, saying, “And Cottia found brand new hiding spots in the village, so that we can play hide-and-seek all day tomorrow!”

Link’s eyes had brightened right up at the sight of the little girls, and he jumped off of the back of his mount, running over and sweeping both of them into his arms and twirling them around. “Well, isn’t that just dandy? I knew I could count on you two for a warm welcome!”

“Yeah, yeah! And Daddy’s been excited to show you and the lady his new plans for the Castle.”

“Is that so?”

“Uh-huh, uh-huh. Hey, Link?”

“Yes, Koko?”

“What’s a castle?”

He laughed dotingly, and began to walk forward into the village, still carrying the two girls. I’d leaned over to grab Epona’s reigns and followed behind, affectionately watching the three of them meanwhile. “It’s a big, important house in the northwest where all of the important people in Hyrule live.”

“Do you live there?” Cottia asked, reaching forward to poke his cheek.

“I will, once it’s repaired," he answered. “And so will Princess Zelda.”

The older one immediately turned around to look at me. “Are you the Princess?”

“I am!” I answered, easily beginning to understand why Link took such a liking to the cute little girls. Her already big smile widened at the reply, and reflected in the happy sparkle in her brown eyes.

“Do you like honeyed apples?” Koko asked.

“How tall are you?” Cottia burst in.

“You’re really pretty! Do you wear pretty dresses a lot?”

“Are you Link’s girlfriend?”

I began laughing at their curious inquiries. “My, aren’t you two smart girls?”

Koko beamed at this and nodded. “Link always told us about how you were really smart, too!”

I could’ve sworn that Link’s ears turned a tad red at this, but he continued to carry them as we walked on, ignoring what might've been poorly disguised embarrassment. The four of us chattered animatedly for a few moments until we reached the center of the village, where all of the residents had gathered outside their homes to welcome us. When Link finally set the two little girls down, and they happily ran over to a man I assumed was their father, the knight graciously insisted on helping me down from my horse. (I couldn’t turn him down—I still wasn’t used to dismounting and usually ended up stumbling when I tried to do so alone.)

When I finally stepped onto the pathway and looked around at all the villagers, they had all hushed down, and watched the two of us expectantly.  
Link and I looked at each other, unsure of what to say. Finally, though, I perked up, smiled, and announced, “Hello, citizens of Kakariko! I am so excited to visit all of you!”

The faces of most of the villagers returned this same smile. Then, a group of them parted to reveal an old, short woman who walked gracefully towards us. I recognized her immediately as Impa, though obviously a century older than when I had last seen her.

Smiling, she began, “Welcome to Kakariko Village, Your Majesty. On behalf of all of Hyrule, allow us to thank both you and Master Link for the immense service that you both have performed for our country.”

And with that, she bowed her head low and deep. The dozens of citizens mirrored her and did the same, sweeping the hats from their heads, causing both Link and I to embarrassedly gape at the sudden attention.

“P-please,” I stuttered. “We merely performed what was expected of us—“

“A legendary duty, nonetheless. Please do not sell yourselves short of the honors that are deserved, Princess,” Impa replied, slowly returning to her straightened posture. “Nonetheless, I am sure that the long journey must have been tiresome. My granddaughter Paya will take you both to your respective boarding arrangements. Furthermore, Your Majesty, a select few of our own elite warriors will be guarding your establishment at all times for security, though they will remain outside your quarters for the sake of privacy.”

I glanced over at Link, who looked a bit troubled at this statement; still, I nodded gratefully. Link had told me about the dozens of different groups and clans, like the Yiga, that were still active and seeking the both of us. More protection of any sort wouldn’t be unwelcome from me.

A younger Sheikah girl, who I assumed was Paya, who came up to stand beside Impa and bowed low, refusing to fully meet my gaze. I reached over to touch her shoulder. “Thank you, Paya. I am very grateful for your hospitality,” I said, acknowledging her with a slight bow of my head.

So, a few moments later, off we went, our horses being taken away and our bags being carried by several citizens who were eager to help. Paya, I determined, was quite shy, and didn’t say much to either one of us beyond a formal greeting and introductions to the houses in which we were to stay. Link struggled to make her feel a bit more comfortable by attempting to make small talk with her, as he often did, but she only seemed to grow increasingly flustered by the attempts—not that I could blame her.

After she directed me to my residence, she bade me a nervous farewell and continued to take Link to his own dorm. It was almost comical, how oblivious he was to her massive crush on him, and I watched them from the window as they continued down the street.

It took me no more than a few minutes to unpack what little luggage I had--most of it was either brand new, purchased out of necessity from traveling vendors along the way, or completely ragged, and I struggled to match my own outfits as I hung them in the closet. Still, by the time I had gotten situated, bathed, and started to settle into my pleasant little abode, it was nightfall, and my weariness was beginning to fall over me. Thankfully, however, a chatty but welcoming older woman brought me a meal.

"Greetings, Your Majesty! I do hope you’re hungry this evening,” she said warmly, after I invited her into the room. She was slightly older, with her hair tied high on her head in the traditional Sheikah bun, and wore a warm smile on her face. On a tray, she held a plate of freshly roasted bird meat covered in some sort of thick, vegetable laden sauce, with a side of carrots and a slice of pumpkin pie. 

After setting the tray of food down, she worked quickly to prepare a space on the dining table to eat, speaking meanwhile. "The entire village is very excited to provide Your Highness with meals and living arrangements. However, the two farmers of the vegetables were very adamant that I ask you to give an honest opinion on their crops."

Laughing, I happily agreed. "I would be most honored. What is your name, ma’am?”

"Most everybody calls me Nanna, though I don't actually have any grandchildren. I've never been able to quite figure out why," she replied, pulling out a chair and gesturing for me to sit. "There you are. Tell me, my dear, is there anything that Your Majesty would like?"

I shook my head, moving to take the seat she offered. "No, this looks heavenly enough. Though, I'd love to hear more about the village, if you wouldn't mind."

We got into a lengthy conversation about the state of the village after the Calamity struck, about various natural disasters that had happened, and even about the long-time feud between the carrot and pumpkin farmers in the village. The candlesticks were nearly half gone by the time we even realized we’d been discussing for such a time. She was a sweet and kind lady, and by the time I had finished my meal, I felt more at home with her than I'd felt anywhere in a long time.

"Well, Your Grace, it's about time I be off," Nanna said, beginning to collect my empty dishes back onto her tray. "I'm sure that Impa would like for you to get some rest after such a long journey. Master Link was already asleep outside your door when I came by earlier--didn't even get to eat his dinner."

I stared at her, confused. "He's--where? What? Wasn’t the Sheikah Guard supposed to be keeping watch?"

"They were, but he sent them away. Insisted that it was his duty to watch over your security. All things considered, Your Majesty, I wouldn’t be worried one bit with that boy around," she answered. “He’s been some of the best security we’ve had in the past hundred years, what with all those Yiga men around.”

As she went to leave, I thanked her again for the meal and helped her out the door, trying hard not to think about all the possible assassins that were waiting for my lanterns to be extinguished when I went to sleep. "Thank you again for dinner, Nanna. It was wonderful."

"Nonsense--it is my honor to serve you however I may. Now, get some good sleep, my dear!"

After telling her goodnight and watching her walk across the way, into her own residence, I peeked around the door to find Link sleeping on the cold wood of the porch, undisturbed by the sounds of the older woman's quiet footsteps. He was curled up into himself, head on his arms, sword still strapped to his back, bow within arm's length. Both his cheeks were pink from the cold. But I found myself most distracted by the peacefulness of his features, and his long eyelashes, and the way he slept with his mouth slightly open like a child.

I knew the flutter in my stomach wasn't from the food.

Walking back indoors, I rummaged around in my room until I found an extra pillow and blanket, glad that Paya had prepared me with as much. I took them outside and covered Link in the thick fabric, gently sliding the pillow under his head so as not to wake him.

"Sleep well, silly," I murmured to him, brushing some of his hair out of his face. It was soft, like I’d always thought it must be. "We've got a busy day tomorrow."

And after changing my clothes and climbing into bed, I quickly fell asleep, my beating heart wondering just what the next day would hold.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Hit me up on tumblr [here!](http://takidaka.tumblr.com/)  
> If you _really_ love this fic and would like to buy me a coffee, please do so [here.](http://ko-fi.com/A6833FJM) :)


	2. Shot Through the Heart*

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> . . . in which Zelda learns a bit about combat.

"Link!"  
"Yes, Your Majesty?"  
It had been a few days since we had arrived in Kakariko. After meeting briefly with Impa for a few days, she decided that I should have some relaxation time, and cancelled our meetings for the weekend. That being said, I had spent the day enjoying the temperate weather on the porch of my designated residence, looking though all of the entires Link had added to the Sheikah Slate, and chatting with Koko a few times as she ran by looking around for Link.  
He, on the other hand, had spent the afternoon catching up with several of the residents. After spending most of the day helping out the various farmers with their crops and helped the older merchants stock their shops, he came to join me outside with a plate of sandwiches in his hands. We had just about combed through the entire Hyrule Compendium together by the time we had eaten them all.  
“Will you teach me to shoot sometime?" I asked.  
He looked up from polishing the Master Sword beside me, surprised at my request. "I thought Your Highness went through rigorous training as the heir to the throne?"  
I shrugged. "I did, and I was good at it, but I've seen the way you use your bow. You're so quick and such an accurate shot that it's almost like you stop time when you do it." Smiling at him, I quirked an eyebrow. "Or would you rather your liege have less-than-satisfactory defensive capabilities?"  
Link laughed outright at me. "Well, if Her Royal Highness were always able to defend herself, I'd be put out of a job," he quipped. Nonetheless, he dug around in his oversized pack, pulling out a quiver stuffed full of arrows and two Royal Bows. "Shall we go now, while it's still daylight?"  
I gaped at him. "Really? Without a single objection?"  
"Sure. Why not?"  
"Just. . . My father would never had allowed it," I admitted.  
Link smiled gently. "I'm sure that after all of this business with Calamity Ganon, His Majesty would reconsider. Anyway. I'll go grab the horses. It would be advisable that Your Highness wear something light, but with long sleeves and pants," he said, gesturing to the sundress I was wearing.  
Before he walked out the door, he slid his sword back into its sheath on his back and handed me the two matching bows. It had been too incredibly long since I had seen a piece of the Royal series, not to mention two, and with both in such good condition. Link certainly didn't take his weaponry for granted.  
Happy, and pleasantly excited, the knight smiled back at me as he walked out the door. "Don't go shooting any holes into the walls while I'm gone, Your Majesty. The Sheikah don't take kindly to that, I'm afraid."  
"Yes, Link," I laughed.  
And he turned and left with a playful smile, leaving me to try and quiet the feelings I felt dancing around in my chest. 

"Personally, I have two rules about archery," Link started. "The first, and most important one, is that accuracy is key whenever applicable."  
The horses were grazing a ways away from us, glad to have more of a selection to munch on than just the short grasses that grew in the village. We had traversed slightly north into the perimeter of the Lanayru Mountains, but still didn't go too far. Meanwhile, as I was inspecting some odd flowers in the field, Link had set up a makeshift shooting range with some less-than-perfect pumpkins that had been provided by Olkin. A line of five of the misshapen gourds were standing in front of us.  
"We'll start with pumpkins, as they're a bit bigger and brighter, and shall move to apples after Your Highness feels comfortable with these targets,” Link said encouragingly, taking a bow off the back of Epona and checking the resistance on the string. Though I could tell he was still a bit wary from his adventure, he was still unyieldingly eager about teaching me--I was extremely glad for that. I hadn't mentioned it to him yet, but I was going to appoint him as the Captain of the Royal Guard, whenever things got settled down enough to reestablish the army. But, in the meantime, I happily watched him as he chattered on about various archery techniques.  
"Given that Your Majesty has had royal training, I expect that accuracy won't be a problem. However, it has been a century--so, please don't hesitate to take as much time as is needed."  
“Okay,” I agreed, eager to get my hands on a bow once again. Link stepped behind me, holding the quiver out to draw from, and handed me his own arm brace. I had completely forgotten about the rebound on bow strings, and was glad he'd caught me before I popped the string into my wrist.  
Still, as I put it on, I had to wrap the straps around almost twice. I silently marveled at how much bigger and more muscular even his wrist was. Finally, I put my sights on a pumpkin towards the center of the area, setting an arrow in place and drawing back the string.  
"Shoot for accuracy," Link murmured again, watching me carefully. "Try to hit the center of that particular pumpkin."  
Unfortunately, it had been a century. Though the basics I had learned of archery were slowly starting to come back, I accidentally slipped because of the tightness of the string, sending the arrow flying into the dirt only a few feet in front of me.  
I loudly laughed. "Well, at least I'd be able to shoot myself in the foot."  
Link smiled at this and patiently handed me another arrow. "Trust me, it happens. Just try again."  
The next few arrows I released flew in a similar way towards the ground. My frustration grew, along with my embarrassment, and I finally looked back at him. "I think spending a century not doing too much with my arms has taken a toll. Do you have a lighter bow?"  
He looked at my arm as he thought. "I do, but they have poor alignment, which makes it hard to be accurate." After a few more moments, he finally handed me another arrow. "Here. We'll do some resistance training. Aim at the pumpkin, but just hold back the arrow drawn in the string for as long as Your Majesty can. Only release it when absolutely necessary."  
I was disappointed, and more than a little flustered. Resistance training was an extremely basic practice. Still, I knew better than to argue with him—he meant only the best by it. After all, it’s not like he was making fun of me or anything of the sort; I was simply frustrated with how out of shape I felt.  
“I don’t think Your Majesty is necessarily unable to pull the string,” he stated after watching me for a few more moments, “it’s just that your arm placement is a little off.” He stood up from the rock he was perched upon and came beside me, holding his own matching bow in his grasp. “Make sure that the string is being pulled in an angle parallel to the ground; Your Majesty has a tendency to bring your elbow up a little higher than needed. That’s what’s sending the arrows downward.”  
He pulled an arrow back in his grip then to show me, his arm perfectly straight. I tried to mirror him, and when he saw that I was properly set, he released his arrow. It hit the dead center of the pumpkin.  
I released mine after his, but it still fell a few inches too short of the gourd. Unable to help myself, I made an irritated noise at the sight of it.  
“Your highness was much closer!” Link said encouragingly. “And a fast learner, as always. Don’t give up yet!”  
I begrudgingly set another arrow, determined to hit the target. Before I let it loose, however, Link came up behind me and asked, “May I?”  
Taken a bit aback, I nodded. His own arms came around my own. He was wearing his Sheikah armor, having dyed it a lighter blue to match his tunic, and it was skin-tight. Despite the muscles in his arms being unreasonably toned, he was still slender, and he smelled of earth and sunlight. I found myself wanting to stare at his arms much more than I wanted to aim at my target, and it took just about the rest of my determination to force the heat away from my cheeks. Goddess, if he were this close to me all the time, I would hardly be able to think straight--  
“Hold the bow a bit higher, towards the center—yes, just like that. Good. Now, bring your elbow down,” he instructed, gently prodding my arm down with his hand, “and turn your wrist out just a tad more.” His fingers adjusted my wrist. I was immediately distracted by how chiseled and muscular his sword hand was--there were so many scars and veins and long pieces of muscle that moved effortlessly around his fingers. But as I looked, I noticed a marking on his hand--and did a double-take of the Triforce I unmistakably saw there.  
"Now. Your Majesty should be just about perfect. Let’s aim, prepare—yes, exactly.”  
After another few moments, I realized that his head was right next to mine, and he eyed the pumpkin with fierce focus. I could hear the smooth sound of his breathing. “Now, when Your Majesty is ready, take a deep breath in, and exhale as you fire.”  
Nodding, I did as he said. I focused intently on the gourd, careful that my technique was still as fine-tuned as he had just corrected it to be, and inhaled, closing my eyes.  
On a silent count to three, I breathed out, opened my eyes, and shot.  
It landed right next to his own arrow.  
“My word, that was nearly perfect!” Link exclaimed. I myself couldn’t help but squeal with joy. He raised his hand to me for a high-five, and I happily gave it to him. “Now, just follow the same steps again, and see if Your Majesty can do it without my help.”  
“Yes, sir,” I replied, taking another arrow.  
Though it wasn’t necessarily a quick process, I carefully reenacted what he had just taught me. After checking almost every inch of my posture, my grip, my breathing patterns—not to mention everything else—I took a deep breath in, silently said a word of prayer, and let the shot fly.  
It hit Link’s first arrow straight down the center, splitting the wooden shaft right in half.  
“I did it!” I just about screamed, throwing my hands up above my head.  
Link proudly clapped. “Perfection! Your Highness is just about a sharpshooter!”  
I was so excited that I ran over and jumped towards him for a hug. He caught me, completely surprised at the action, and wrapped his arms around my waist to keep me from falling backwards.  
“Thank you, Link!” I said gleefully, my arms tight around his shoulders. “It’s been so long, I almost thought I’d never be able to do anything of the sort again!”  
“Y-Your Majesty is more than welcome,” he said, laughing. “I am honored to share my knowledge.”  
Finally, I let him go, eager to get back to shooting. With a broad smile, Link resumed handing me arrow after arrow, cheering me on with every shot. By the last one, he was on his feet and clapping.  
“By Hylia, Your Highness may be outshooting me by the end of the week!” He laughed, jogging out to pull the scattered arrows from the pierced gourds. After cleaning off the tips and placing them back in his quiver, he quickly gathered the pumpkins and began moving them to different locations. One of them was moved back a bit in the grass, but the rest had been delicately perched on the tree branches he scaled with unparalleled ease; I couldn’t help but stare at him as he did so, especially in that armor.  
“Now,” he began, wrapping his legs over a high branch so that he could swing upside down and look back at me. “Your Majesty will need to shoot all of these pumpkins down from the branches with less than two shots apiece.”  
“You mean, as in hit them?”  
“Yes, but in such a way that they will fall out of the trees,” he replied, swinging around playfully.  
I couldn’t help but laugh; he looked quite like a monkey. “Just how do you expect me to do that?”  
“By using that unyieldingly logical brain of yours!” Link teased. “If I, the unexceptionally-educated son of a lowly knight, can figure it out, surely the esteemed Princess of Hyrule can.”  
“Are you mocking me?” I delightedly asked, laughing.  
“Only if Your Grace can’t do it,” he replied, winking. He swung out of the tree, then, and dropped to his feet, following me back to where we stood before. “But, if Your Majesty does succeed, I will be obliged to make my famous pumpkin pie from the targets that have been besmirched.”  
When he’d taken his place on the rock behind me, I reached back for an arrow; he handed one over, brushing my fingers in the process. "Good luck, Princess."  
Whether or not he meant it, I barely restrained the shiver that attempted to run down my spine. Still, I quickly regained myself. “Technically, you know, all of the targets have already been besmirched.”  
“I'm afraid I only use the most freshly besmirched ingredients in my pies,” Link replied, laughing. “It’s also starting to get late, Your Majesty. We’ll most likely have to head back to the village after this round.”  
I nodded, taking my stance in the grass. “Well, I suppose I’ll have to make these count, won’t I?”

A few hours later, Link and I were sitting outside once again--this time near the campfire around the village's Goddess Statue--and we were stuffed to the brim with his sweet pumpkin pie.  
The pan was strewn half-eaten between us, as we leaned against our arms as we sat, the two plates and silverware he’d brought out covered in crumbs and bits of pie filling.  
“Link.”  
“Hm?”  
“What’s your favorite dessert?”  
He glanced sleepily over at me, and a slow smile overtook his face. “Pumpkin pie.”  
I couldn’t help but laugh at his silly demeanor—he was still a glutton for a good meal. If only I could have seen him after a Hylia’s Day feast. "Because you’re so good at making it?”  
“No, but thank you. It was actually my father’s specialty.”  
“Really?"  
He had a faraway look in his eyes as he nodded. “He made it every Sunday when I’d come home from the barracks for dinner. Apparently he’d gotten the recipe from my mother before she passed, but I was small when she did.”  
I understood him completely. “That’s how my mother was with fruit pie. The chef always made it differently, so she'd sneak into the kitchens and make it for me herself," I said. "The servants always tried to tell her, 'The Queen of Hyrule should not have to get her hands dirty!' And she'd always respond, 'The Queen of Hyrule takes care of her children!' And she always meant it in more than one way."  
We both laughed at this, Link saying, "She sounds as strong-willed and stubborn as another Hylian royal I know."  
"Oh, yes. Between her and my father, people were often surprised that I even learned how to listen to anyone else. I was a nightmare for my tutors when I was younger."  
"Why?" He asked, poking at the remaining pie with his fork. "Did Your Highness pull the classic I-Don't-Want-To-Do-My-Homework bit?"  
"No. Because I would never let up when I was curious about something." I looked over at him and watched the firelight dance off his golden hair. "Goes to prove a point about my research of ancient technology. But they'd never be able to find a tutor to suit me for very long--I'd learn their materials too quickly and ask too many questions they didn't know answers to."  
Looking unsurprised, Link pointed at my right hand. The faint emblem of the Triforce was emblazoned on the top of my palm, the bottommost left triangle slightly darker than the others. "I'm entirely unsurprised."  
"And why is that?"  
"As legend says: the Triforce of Wisdom only shows itself to the brightest.”  
Smiling, and more flattered than I would've liked to be, I shrugged. "I suppose so. I don't know if I'd call myself wise, though."  
"Only wise enough to save a kingdom and defeat a legendary beast," Link replied, grinning and rolling his eyes. "Meanwhile, most of us can barely read and write in one language--"  
"Oh, hush!" I said then, playfully shoving his shoulder. "Don't act like you aren't something special, too. A knight’s education isn’t as substandard as you think, not to mention that you figured out plenty of mysteries and obscure trials on your journey. You’re pretty clever yourself, you know.” Raising an eyebrow, I added, “And if you want the rest of the pie, just take it already."  
He gratefully picked up the pan and began shoveling the dessert into his mouth. "Yes, but I relied on a lot of help along the way—“  
"--as did I, when I was receiving my education--"  
"--and trust me when I say that I still can't read Ancient Hylian very well--"  
"Link. Quit acting like you're any less exceptional than you actually are. It may keep you humble, but you're not doing any favors to yourself by thinking that you're less than extraordinary."  
With a bit of a pout, he continued to poke at the pie. "Well, thank you, Your Majesty."  
Half a smile on my face, I asked, "You don't believe me, do you?" Unable to help myself any longer, I reached over and pulled his sword hand over to me, quickly undoing the straps on his wrist guard.  
Confused, he pulled his hand slightly away. "Your Majesty--"  
"Like I thought," I exhaled as I held the detached leather gauntlet in my hand, relieved that my eyes hadn't fooled me earlier in the day. "The Triforce of Courage." I focused my gaze intensely on his own blue eyes. "So don't act like you aren't something extraordinary, either."  
Between another heaping bite of pie, his eyes narrowed at me. "It's just a birthmark."  
"I'm sure."  
“Maybe it’s all for show.”  
"I bet."  
By this point, he'd finished off the rest of the dish, and set the remains down on the wooden porch again, eyeing me teasingly. “Could be a tattoo, even.“  
“Uh-huh. And I'm sure that's why you make such a big deal of keeping it covered."  
"No body art in the professional workplace."  
I couldn't help but giggle at him; I don't think he realized how much of a flirt he was. "Of course not. How could I forget?" I got myself to my feet then as I prepared to go inside, and he followed suit, picking up the dishes to take away to his own cabin. But before he could do so, I took them from him as I stood in the doorway.  
"Your Highness, I can wash--"  
"I'm well aware that you can, and so can I," I retorted, holding the dishes closely to my chest. "You've done enough for me today, Hero. Thank you." Reaching over, I took his marked hand with my own. “And if you’d ever rather sleep inside on the couch or have someone bring a cot instead of out here in the cold, you’re more than welcome to do so.”  
He blinked at me, surprised at the contact. “How did Your Majesty—“  
I squeezed his hand before I let go of it, tapping my forehead with two fingers as I smiled. “The Triforce of Wisdom only shows itself to the brightest. Isn’t that right?”  
With sparking eyes, he flashed me another toothy grin. “Yes, Your Grace."  
“Right, then. Good night, Link.”  
“Good night, Princess.”  
I went inside then, closing the door behind me. Sighing deeply, I fell back against it, sliding down to the floor, the pie dishes still stacked precariously in my hands.  
The heat I felt in my cheeks was undeniable, and there was a bubbling giddiness in my chest. I’d known that I’d grown close to him before he fell in battle. . . But, even then, I thought of him more as a best friend.  
Frustrated, I looked up at the wooden beams in the ceiling above me as if in answer, even though I already knew what it was.  
I was completely and utterly in love with him.  
. . . Yet, all I felt was an immense guilt because of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As you may be able to see. . . I like characters that talk quite a bit. ;)  
> Onward to the next bit!!!
> 
> Hit me up on tumblr [here!](http://takidaka.tumblr.com/)  
> If you _really_ love this fic and would like to buy me a coffee, please do so [here.](http://ko-fi.com/A6833FJM) :)


	3. Koko's Party*

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> . . . in which things escalate rather quickly.

How on earth could I, the princess who failed to save the lives of thousands, justify having such feelings for a man who ended up having to carry the world on his back because of my own incompetence?  
The thought had haunted me for decades. I’d known my feelings for him were more than those of friendship even before his collapse, though I denied it to myself vehemently. Still, the moment my powers awoke was the same moment that I realized, with more fear than I had ever felt before, that I was in severe danger of losing him.  
And it was a bit different now; after all, it’d been a century, and Hyrule was returning to peace, and we’d grown much closer because of our shared fates. But, no matter how hard I tried to convince myself that it was all Hylia’s plan, I couldn’t quite get past the fact that he had died because of my own errors. That _thousands_ of people had died because of me.  
But looking at him mounted on the back of his horse that afternoon, eagerly racing me down the Sahasra Slope to see which one of us would make it to the end of Millenio Sandbar first, it would be hard to tell that the lively boy had been asleep for more than a few hours, much less a hundred years. He was grinning and hollering beside me, encouraging Epona to sprint just a little faster, somehow managing to speak to her in such a way that he actually got her to do so. Poor Aegis, for all his strength, tried to keep up with her—but, ultimately, the legendary horse was considered legendary for a reason, and the two outran us by quite a few seconds.  
“Victory is ours, my dear Epona!” Link called as the horse splashed into the foot-deep waters of the marsh. He jumped eagerly off the back of the horse and landed in the pond with a bit of a flourish, looking back at me with a proud grin.  
“I call a rematch!” I announced, sticking my bottom lip in a pout as I patted Aegis’s neck soothingly. “She's simply too fast. It’s unfair to my poor steed.”  
“Well, it’s what they always say, Your Majesty—second place is the first loser. And I can’t help a sore loser.”  
“A sore loser?!” I exclaimed, smiling as I started to slide precariously off the back of the mount. Link worriedly caught me as I came down. “I am not a sore loser, thank you!”  
“Whatever excuses put Your Grace’s mind at ease,” he shrugged, releasing me onto my own feet.  
I lightly punched his shoulder. “Oh, you make me so mad. Fine. You win. Let’s go get these confounded balloons before I decide to have your head.”  
“Certainly, Your Highness.”  
Leaving the horses behind to graze and rest, the two of us set off into the marsh to look for Octoroks. Koko’s birthday was that evening, and her father Dorian had asked Link if he wouldn’t mind gathering some decorations for the party—balloons in particular. Originally, Link was planning on going to run the errand alone; however, after I showed interest in the task, he invited me to come with him as a form of archery practice.  
I had the bow I’d used the other day in my hand and Link’s spare quiver roped around my back. He walked slightly ahead of me, cautiously watching for the sight of any lingering boklobins, and I followed, trying to pick any orb-like creatures out from the dark waters.  
“Well, at least there aren’t many enemies to worry about,” he murmured, allowing me to step in front of him so that he could protect me from behind. “Collection should be simple enough, I think.”  
He was right. It didn’t take long for the two of us together to find and shoot several Octoroks; and though a projectile rock scraped my lower leg, I was rather successful otherwise. Link seemed downright impressed by how much my technique had improved.  
“Either I’m a fantastic teacher, or Your Majesty is a extremely quick learner,” he said as he pulled another two octo balloons from the marsh water, smiling impressedly.  
When he handed them to me, I wiped the water off of them and stuffed them in our pack. “It’s a little of both, I believe,” I laughed. “All that’s left to do now is work on speed, correct?”  
“Yes, but Your Grace has gotten quick enough just from shooting these blasted creatures to warrant some far more difficult technique. Whenever we finally venture out towards the Rito Village, I’ll be sure that we take a good amount of time practicing aerial shots in the Flight Range, as well!”  
I was more than eager to hear this. It was a goddess-send that I wasn’t being too much of a burden on him; I didn’t think I’d be able to handle if it I was.  
We’d collected around thirty balloons by the time the sun was falling from the sky, and had started to head back towards the horses with our haul. The two of us happily discussed the plans for Koko’s party meanwhile.  
“I believe that she’s turning eight,” Link said, inspecting our bows for any wear.  
“Really?” I asked incredulously. “I know she’s small, but she’s such a talented cook that I thought she was at least a little older!”  
“I thought the same at first,” He grinned. “The poor thing had to take over her mother’s role in the family since her death, and because her father is constantly working as one of Impa’s gatekeepers. She’s a strong little girl, that one.”  
“What happened to her mother?”  
Link’s tone became rather solemn. “Well, it’s a bit complicated. Dorian, her father, was once sworn to the Yiga Clan. His entire family was involved, so he was born into it, and served for many year--until he met the girls’ mother. They fell in love. She convinced him to turn a new leaf, and they were married and had their children, and set up a simple life in Kakariko.  
“Unfortunately, the Yiga don’t take kindly to traitors. As a threat to Dorian, they captured and murdered his wife and have repeatedly threatened to come after his daughters if he doesn't serve as an undercover spy for the organization.”  
I gasped, stunned at the poor man’s misfortunes. He was so kind and loving towards his daughters that I had no idea he had ever lived that kind of life. “Does that mean he’s betraying Impa and—“  
“No, he doesn’t anymore—I caught him in the act—and I’ve sworn him to feed the Yiga Clan bad information. Because of my recommendation, security has been heightened around the village as a result--and, for the record, Impa isn't aware of all this quite yet, either."  
No wonder he had insisted on sleeping outside my door. To think that all of this was happening right outside in the cracks such a lovely little village—what kind of tragedies had Calamity Ganon possibly inflicted elsewhere? The guilt I harbored in my chest began to make itself known to me almost immediately. To think of the thousands of children whose parents were slain, who grew up poor and hungry and without shelter amidst the horrors of a legendary war—the thought brought tears to my eyes almost immediately.  
Link glanced over at me, looking concerned. “Is Your Majesty all right?”  
“Yes, I’m quite fine,” I lied, quickly wiping at my eyes. “Nothing to worry about."  
“If Your Grace is sure. I’d be more than happy to spare a pair of listening ears if they’re needed.”  
I laughed at him despite myself, flattered by his sweetness. “Not right now. But thank you, Link.”

By the time we got back to the village, it was nearly sundown. The villagers had set up a gathering of gifts outside High Spirits Produce shop, where Koko was known to cook most of her dishes. Her father was outside mandating the preparations and smiled widely when we appeared, apparently very satisfied at the sight of a full bag of balloons.  
“Ah, Your Majesty! I would like to thank you and Master Link for so kindly gathering these for my daughter,” he said, bowing low in front of us. A few of the other Sheikah who were bustling around the little platform watched us with interest.  
“Oh, nonsense. It’s my pleasure,” I answered happily. “Besides, Link did most of the work. Where would you like us to start?”  
Several minutes and inflated balloons later, the scene was alight with the smiling faces, paper lanterns, and dozens of honeyed apples placed on a large, ornate platter on the picnic table. Link, with all of the brotherly love that he felt for the little girl, offered to go any fetch her and Cottia for the surprise; after he left, we all waited eagerly in our places, myself watching over Link’s pack that he’d tossed underneath the table.  
“Here they come!” Dorian whispered loudly, hushing the chatter of the excited villagers.  
Link appeared with Koko on his shoulders, who had covered her eyes with her hands. Cottia was running beside him, talking so animatedly about her day’s experience that we could hear her from afar.  
“—and then Koko and me when out to the pumpkin patch, and the old man was really nice and let us pick one out to carve! And Koko showed me how to use a knife—“  
“—but you’re not allowed to until Daddy says you can,“ Koko butted in, frowning.  
Cottia hardly noticed. “Then, Link, we were cleaning the house and I found—you won’t believe it—a spider!”  
“A spider?!” Link exclaimed, smiling at me from afar. I felt my cheeks flush. “And what did you do with the spider, Cottia?”  
“Well, Koko was scared of it—“  
“Too many legs!” Her older sister explained.  
“—so I picked it up with my hands and took it outside. Now it’s made a little web underneath the stairs of the porch!”  
“Amazing!” Link said, grinning happily down at the little girl. They had just made it past Impa’s house, and when the littlest child beheld the sight of the party, Link pressed a hand to his lips to signal her to be quiet. Cottia delightedly pressed her entire hand over her mouth in reply.  
“Are we almost there? Koko doesn’t like not being able to see,” the birthday girl asked, obviously growing a little weary of the mystery.  
Link answered, winking at all of us. “Indeed we are! You can open your eyes on the count of three, okay?”  
“Okay!”  
“All right, now get ready! One. . . Two. . . Three—“  
_“Happy birthday!”_ All of us exclaimed at once, clapping and cheering for the little girl.  
Her eyes, upon realizing just what was happening, got wider than a full moon. “A birthday party? For Koko?!”  
“Yes!” Her father smiled, happily coming over to take her off of Link’s shoulders. She stared at him with complete wonder. “Happy birthday from all of us!”  
“With apples! And friends! And the pumpkin man!” She said excitedly, looking eagerly around the scene. “And so many balloons!” Koko, overcome with her emotions, reached forward to hug her father around his neck. “Thank you, Daddy!”  
“You’re more than welcome, sweetheart. Now, go eat those apples and open your gifts. The fireflies are going to be out soon—I know you don’t like to miss those,” Dorian replied, setting her down on the ground.  
Nodding, she sprinted over to the table where her little sister sat, almost immediately digging into an entire plate stacked full of the glazed slices.  
It was the most happiness that I had seen collectively in ages. Dorian, Link, and I all stood there for a few moments as the villagers shared laughter and their sweet fruits, reveling in the company of each other. I was honored to even be a part of it.  
“She’s growing up,” Dorian said softly. “Even though she’s already grown so much.”  
Link, nodding, patted the older man’s shoulder. “You should be proud of her.”  
“I am. Completely.” He sniffed and glanced over at the two of us. “Go on, you two. There’s more than enough fruit to go around, and I know how much you like to eat, Link.”  
“You’re damned right about that,” Link laughed, walking towards the table. “Thanks, Dorian.”  
After a few steps, Link stopped and turned back to me, waiting for me to catch up to him. “How is Your Majesty? Feeling a bit better from earlier?”  
Looking around again at the happiness all around me, I smiled gratefully, and nodded. “I am. Thank you, Link.”  
“Don't mentiond it. Let’s eat ourselves sick of these, yeah?”  
Upon hearing Link’s voice, Koko swung around eagerly. “Link! Princess! Come sit next to Koko!”  
“Are you sure?” he asked, cocking an eyebrow up at her playfully. “You seem pretty popular already.”  
“Yes, but I like the two of you, too!” And with that, the two villagers who were already sitting next to her laughed and shifted down enough to make room for us all. Koko, still immensely eager, and already hyped up a bit with the sweets, exclaimed, “Will you sit next to me, Princess?”  
I was surprised by the proposition. “Absolutely! I would love to!”  
Beaming, Koko slid a plate over as Link and I sat down. “There. Enough to share!”  
We spend the next half hour or so visiting happily with the girls and the villagers, watching Koko open her presents, and waiting for the fireflies to make an appearance. It was a grand, festive time, watching the little girl so happily celebrated for all of her hard work. I began to wish that I could spend every day of the rest of my life in Kakariko, living the simple yet wonderful lives of all the villagers around me.  
That is, until I heard a piercing scream.  
Nanna, who had been holding a plate of apples herself, had dropped and shattered it against the ground. She was starting, terrified, at Dorian—and the Yiga Blademaster who had his sword pressed against the man’s neck.  
Link, without a second thought, hopped out of his seat with his sword already drawn, and immediately entered into battle with the Yiga member. Dorian, narrowly escaping the Yiga man’s grasp, turned on his heel and began fighting him as well. Koko and Cottia, on the other hand, screamed out for their father; I barely managed to catch them by their arms as they tried to run towards him.  
“Koko, Cottia, listen to me,” I said very calmly, forcing them to look straight into my eyes. “Link and your father can handle that man. You have to run straight to Impa’s house right this instant, okay?”  
Koko nodded timidly, but Cottia frowned. “We have to help our Daddy—“  
“You can help him best by going there and being safe, okay? I promise,” I said, giving her a small smile. Reluctantly, she nodded, and I immediately sent them off towards Impa’s house, watching as they went.  
Meanwhile, Link had gotten his arm sliced very lightly by somebody’s blade, but the Yiga member was worse off; his entire leg was bloody, and Dorian’s quick footwork threw him onto the ground. I was about to start directing the other villagers to safety when I heard another cry a little bit away.  
“So, you’re the daughters of that traitor, huh?” A brazen tenor voice loudly said. Looking over, I saw that another Yiga man—a footsoldier, from the looks of it—was chasing the two girls away from Impa’s door. Finally, he managed to pull Koko into his grasp, the grossly shimmering sickle in his hand raised high, and brought it downwards—  
—only to fall dead to the side of the railing, an arrow shot cleanly into the side of his head.  
I dropped the bow. Without another thought, I immediately sprinted over to the two little girls. Koko, as terrified as she was herself, was trying to comfort her crying sister, who had collapsed into a ball on the staircase. As soon as I reached them, I picked them up into my arms and kicked through the doors of Impa’s home, where she stood on her platform, already preparing to enter battle.  
She was shocked, to say the least, to see me breathless and holding two sobbing girls in my arms. Link sprinted up behind me a few moments later, sword still drawn, blood trickling from a cut under his eye.  
“Your Majesty,” he huffed. “Impa. Girls. Is everyone all right?”  
“Yes, we are. How about the Yiga men?”  
Still breathing quite rapidly, Link replied, “Well, the swordsman has been properly sliced to bits. Her Grace may speak justly about the condition of the other soldier.”  
Impa’s astonished gaze turned to me, and she settled back onto her seat. “What did—“  
“She shot him straight through the ear when he tried to attack the girls,” Link filled in. Judging by the look on his face, he was rather surprised himself. “Quite nicely, I must add.”  
The old woman, eyebrows still raised, turned to me for an explanation. “Your Majesty?”  
I held the two girls tighter to my chest, feeling a strange, motherly strength running down my spine. I stared straight back at Impa as I spoke.  
“The Queen of Hyrule takes care of her children.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Hit me up on tumblr [here!](http://takidaka.tumblr.com/)  
> If you _really_ love this fic and would like to buy me a coffee, please do so [here.](http://ko-fi.com/A6833FJM) :)


	4. Stormy Weather*

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> . . . in which there are a lot of feelings. :)

I took a deep breath.  
"Koko, are you hurt at all?" I finally asked, taking a seat on Impa's floor and setting the little Sheikah sisters down on either one of my knees.  
She shook her head, murmuring, "No, Princess."  
Cottia, still scared out of her wits, wrapped her arms around my waist, hiding her wet face in my old violet hunting tunic.  
Impa had gone out to assess the damage and gather a report about the situation; from what I figured, Dorian would have to finally come clean about the whole bit. But Link was still there. He walked over to us, still relatively out of breath, and took a seat next to me, his armor covered in various patches of what looked to be dirt and blood. I gave him a worried glance and nodded my head at Cottia; he peeled the little girl off of me and held her in his arms.  
"Cottia, what's wrong?" he asked. Her hair had started to fall out of her small bun, and he pulled the ribbons from it then, letting it fall down to her shoulders. As he began combing it through with his fingers and tying it back up, she wailed against his chest.  
“I-I thought the man was gonna hurt Koko—“  
“Sweetheart, she’s okay—“  
As Link continued trying to calm down the littlest girl, I focused my attention back on Koko. She was gazing off into some sort of distance, knuckles white as she clenched her hands into balls, face bright pink.  
“Hey,” I said softly to her, then. She popped back to reality and stared up at me. “Deep breaths in and out, okay? Count to five with each.”  
Nodding, I mirrored her as she leaned against my chest, being sure she would follow.  
“You’re safe now, love,” I said, pressing the back of my hand to her cheek. “You’re all right.”  
After a couple of minutes of breathing, thoughts racing through my head about the situation, I looked back down at her. She had started to cry, silently, and tears were running down her cheeks at a constant flow.  
“I want my Mommy,” she finally wailed, and it was so profuse said that I couldn’t help but start to cry myself.  
“I know,” I replied back to her. She’d stood up from my lap, then, and her hands wrapped around my neck, face buried in my shoulder. We couldn’t find any other words to say, and hugged each other and wept for what seemed like ages.  
Finally, though, the doors opened wide, and Impa led a bruised and bleeding Dorian into the house. The two girls perked up immediately at the sight of their father, and practically jumped away from Link and I. The older man knelt to the ground and pulled his daughters close against his chest, the three of them chattering rapidly about each others’ conditions, worriedly checking over each other.  
Impa sullenly resumed her post on her cushion. Link and I, after wiping at our eyes, got up to speak to her.  
“Well, don’t keep us in suspense,” Link started then, raising an eyebrow at the Sheikah elder. “What’s to be done?”  
She sighed. “Security must be heightened again. It seems the poor information had warded them off for a bit, but now they will probably be back with a vengeance. Link, despite all your skills, you may want to strongly reconsider sleeping outside, where you are defenseless.”  
He waved the prospect away. “But what of Dorian, and the two girls?”  
Impa’s eyebrow raised. “What do you mean?”  
“Will they be punished?”  
“No,” she replied sullenly. “It is not the fault of the girls, and Dorian was simply doing what he thought was best. I’m only angry that he hadn’t told me about the problems sooner—it might have saved us quite a bit of trouble in the long run." She nodded at us. "Anyway. There's a storm headed this way--it will probably start raining within the hour. I would advise Your Majesty to prepare for the night in advance."  
"Yes," I finally spoke, surprised at the timidness in my voice. "Thank you, Impa."  
"No, thank you, Your Grace," Dorian said from behind us. Turning around, I saw all three of them looking back at me with what looked to be a tad of awe. "Because of Your Majesty, I still have two daughters alive and healthy."  
"I'm glad," I answered as honestly as I possibly could, smiling back at them. "Very, very glad."

"Link."  
The top of his golden head shied away from the open door as he hid behind its frame. "Your Highness--"  
"Link, it is pouring out there. Stop being ridiculous and come inside." I plodded over to where he awkwardly stood, took his hand, and pulled him into my quarters. "The last thing we need is for you to get a cold--especially when those Yiga men are sure to be out and about."  
"I've slept in the rain before," Link huffed, pouting.  
"Have you?" I asked. "And did you get sick the last time you did it?"  
His eyes narrowed. "Maybe."  
At this I laughed. I reached behind me, grabbed a dry towel off of the heap that Paya had brought inside that morning, and tossed it over to him. "Well, that should've been enough of a lesson. You're Hylian, not Zora, even with that special set of armor. Now, then. I'm going to cook dinner while you dry off--I suppose you'll need a fresh pair of clothes."  
Link grunted as he toweled off his hair. "That would be nice, but I'd much rather not wear any of Your Majesty's robes or dresses. There's also several people around who could bring a meal--I think Nanna was cooking stew--"  
"I prefer to do it myself now and then. It's a nice task, cooking for myself. And I don't want Nanna out in this weather, either, after tonight."  
As he continued to dry his hair, I plodded over to my drawers and pulled a set of pajamas from the bottom compartment. When I walked back over to him, he had taken off his tunic and the chain mail underneath, and was struggling to untie the fastenings of his cotton undershirt.  
"Here," I murmured, handing him the pajamas and unknotting the cords at his collar. "Next time, tie the ends off at the top, okay? Like this. . ."  
He watched me lace up his shirt again, holding the blue cotton pajamas awkwardly in his hands. When I was done, his face had gone red.  
"What?" I asked.  
He sighed. “Thank you, Your Majesty.”  
I laughed and patted his arm. “Cheer up, Hero. There are worse things than having to sleep inside.” Turning away from him then and stepping over a few stray books on the floor, I looked at my small oven. "Now, as for supper, I have enough vegetables to make a stir-fry, but I don't have any meat. I know you always have something on you, though, as much as you like food. Though I suppose maybe a soup would fit the weather--"  
"Your Majesty," Link said then. I turned to find him this time with all of his shirts off, looking dazedly at the tag of the pajama shirt I'd handed him from my travel pack. He had his right shoulder wrapped with looked like fresh gauze, but I assumed that it was a friction guard for when he used his sword arm.  
"Hm?" I asked, trying to direct my focus away from his abdomen. (Goddess bless my soul.)  
"Why does Her Royal Highness have a pajama set specifically in my size?"  
I held his gaze for a few moments before I looked away. "In case you needed a fresh set of clothes. . . Or you got cold. . ."  
He raised his eyebrow.  
I sighed, fingering the side of my own gown absentmindedly. "Or, well, if you ever needed to stay inside. With me." In quiet motion I turned away. "Anyway. What sounds better to you?"  
He was quiet for a long, pensive moment before softly replying, "Soup. Here. I have a good recipe."  
A minute or so later, I was chopping up hydromelon, voltfruit, and radishes, as Link was bringing the milk base in the cast-iron pot to a boil. I watched him as he worked to build the fire; he moved smoothly around it, almost as if it was nothing more than a shadow, and seemed to be throughly comfortable. There was something strange and otherworldly about seeing a guy who was known to wrestle with children and jump off of horses move so easily—it was like seeing him in a different life, much like when he fought with his sword. Focused. Swift. Every motion made with a certain artfulness.  
I caught myself watching rather often, and I could see the corners of his mouth twinge upwards when he noticed, too. It also didn't help that he had rolled the sleeves of his shirt up to his elbows, so I could see the graceful curve of the muscles in his arms working seamlessly in the dancing light. They mirrored his chest. It still struck me odd that he had all that, too.  
It struck me odd that, a century ago, we were completely different people.  
"It's boiling," he eventually said.  
I finished chopping and brought the assortment of greens to the pot, throwing them into the already creamy broth. Then I reached up onto a shelf above the room's fireplace and started to pull down a couple sticks of butter before Link, with his extra inch in height, insisted on doing it for me.  
Sooner or later we had a finished soup. It was still thundering and raining outside as we dished it out in bowls between us, breaking a loaf of bread to dip at the same time.  
"Presenting the famous Gerudo recipe for Creamy Heart Soup! My favorite. Anyway.” Link asked me, plopping down on the plush cushion of the room's couch. I took a seat beside him but with my back to the arm of the sofa, facing him as we ate. “I trust Your Majesty has had a bit of time to recover from the afternoon’s events?”  
“A bit,” I replied. “Something interesting actually happened—I was looking through the pots in the room, too, and I found a little fairy who was trapped in one! We got to chatting, and apparently there are several thousands of them all over the land, some in the most obvious places.”  
"They're good healers," Link said sagely, dipping his bread in the broth. "I used them a lot when I was traveling--they came in handy whenever I got especially hurt."  
"When did you ever get especially hurt?" I asked, not even attempting to cover up the degree of alarm in my voice.  
He looked at me. “Several times. There was once when I was fighting a boklobin, but he called a mob, and one of them slashed me right across my back. I have a scar from it."  
I stared at him. "So you decided to just use a fairy instead of coming back to Kakariko or somewhere to get help?"  
"Eh," he shrugged. "Nothing a good night's sleep wouldn't heal. The little fairy stopped the bleeding and patched up the wound--Hygieia was her name, I believe. She was much kinder than some of the other ones. One time, this one kept stabbing her wand in a puncture wound on my shoulder--though I think she was probably insane from being crammed inside of a jar for hundreds of years--and another time--"  
"A stab wound? From earlier? And you thought a fairy could heal it?"  
He shrugged, grinning nervously at me. “Well, the other one had healed the slash I got on my back, and I've gotten stabbed before—“  
"Let me see."  
Both of his eyes widened, and his smile quickly faded away. It took him only a few seconds to realize that I was serious. "Your Highness--"  
My eyebrows furrowed. "Let me see."  
Reluctantly, he turned around on the cushion and pulled his shirt off. I realized, then, why he was having so much trouble taking his tunic off before.  
Because he wasn't lying. The slash on his back was broad and long, and I could tell that there was a good chance the shape in made in his skin would never truly heal. It was closed over, though, with new skin, and somehow accented the shapes that the muscles made on his back, but it still looked a little tender.  
His gash wound was another story. When he turned back around to show me that one, I gasped when he unwrapped the cotton bandages, and he cringed at the sound. It was fairly deep, placed right at the joint of his shoulder, just on the front of his chest. Though it was healing, and he'd taken good measures in his cabin to clean it before he tried to assume post outside, it definitely was not healed; I could see where a fairy had nursed it to its current state by patching it up with a few strands of their magic hair, but it was still an open wound nonetheless. I realized that it was over his sword arm, too, and that it most likely gave him great pain; the cooking he'd just done probably took a number on it as well.  
”When did this happen?" I asked quietly, brushing the skin around the gash.  
“The fight tonight," he said. "With the Yiga man."  
"Why didn't you say anything?"  
He looked at me guiltily. "I didn't wish for Your Majesty to worry."  
I could feel the rise and fall of his breathing under my touch. I imagined little children laying against his chest at night when they were too frightened to sleep, listening to Link's gentle heartbeat. I imagined myself doing the same.  
I moved nearer to him and placed my hands on his chest, pressing both palms over the wound.  
It started to heal instantly. I could see the discoloration of the skin start to fade to its normal golden shade of ivory, and the fairy's stitches disappearing. Link's expression turned from a pained grimace to a look of benign relief.  
Before long, the blemish was gone completely. I took my hands away and looked at them, watching their golden color fade back to normal. Link did the same, looking impressed, eyes traveling between his shoulder and my palms.  
"Let me see your back," I murmured, prodding him to turn around again. He did as asked. As I pressed my hands against his skin again, I said, "This one will take longer."  
"Will it hurt as much?" He asked.  
I shook my head. "No."  
He nodded and bowed his head, anticipating the feeling again.  
But I couldn't do it. The more I looked at the scar, the more upset I became, the less inclined I was to try, and the less able I felt to fix it. All at once, it seemed, the thoughts and feelings that had been haunting seemed about ready to flood out of me.  
After a minute or so of tracing the outline of the rough skin, Link glanced back at me, confused as to what was happening.  
When he saw me crying, he spun around and took me by the wrists. "By Hylia, what's the matter?"  
"I'm so sorry," I blubbered.  
"What?" He asked. "Your Highness--"  
"--I _told_ Impa I didn't want you involved. I told her that we should release you from your duties so that you could wake up and make yourself a home and stay safe and not get hurt like this, but you did _anyway,_ and oh my _Goddess,_ you must be in _so much pain--"_  
Link tried desperately to interrupt. "Princess--"  
"--I _knew_ this would happen, I _knew_ this would hurt you, even _Hylia_ knew that this quest was going to hurt you, and I made you do it _anyway--"_  
_"Zelda,"_ Link said firmly, stopping me midsentence. "Listen to me."  
"Huh?" I asked, wiping forcefully at my eyes.  
He had never addressed me so directly before, and though I was surprised, I was far from angry. He took my wrist in one hand, again, and moved to dry my face for me. "This is _not_ your fault."  
"Yes, it _is--"_  
"No, it's not," he said steadily. "You are Princess Zelda Lanayru Hyrule. You are a brilliant young woman who had the world placed on her shoulders as soon as she came of age. You couldn't have done more to help what happened. You are not Hylia or some fate-determining being—you are Princess Zelda. _My_ Princess. You moved mountains when there was practically no way to do so. And I would do _all_ of it over again for you."  
I wiped my nose and shook my head. "Why?"  
He brushed the hair sticking to my cheeks back behind my ears, and kept drying my eyes with his fingers, avoiding my gaze meanwhile. "You know perfectly well why."  
"No, I don't--"  
"Yes, you do. It's exactly the same reason why you didn't want me involved in the first place."  
I stared at him, half-flustered by his assertion, and half-offended at his ease of reading me. "And what reason is that?"  
His expression turned nervous, but I recognized the familiar resilience of his courage in his eyes. He was struggling to decide on something. But a moment later, before he let himself think twice, he leaned over and kissed me.  
Surprised, I immediately pulled away.  
His gaze fell towards the floor. "Princess, forgive--"  
But he never finished his sentence. I took his head in my hands, turned his face towards mine, and kissed him right back.  
For the first time in years, it felt as if a very heavy weight had been taken off my chest. I'd wanted to kiss him for ages. (Literal _ages._ ) And judging by the way he was pressing into me and kissing back and wrapping his arms around my waist, so had he.  
That, it seemed, was the sweetest victory I had _ever_ felt.  
He pulled away slightly after a moment or two, still holding me close to him. “Do you understand what I'm saying?"  
I nodded slightly, my eyes turning downwards to the ground. I noticed that he was fidgeting with the cushion he sat upon, fingers rubbing a bit of velvet between them.  
"What?" I asked.  
"Huh?"  
"What's wrong?"  
He looked up at me and then quickly away. "I can't believe I just did that."  
"Link," I started, smiling. He turned his head towards mine; I noticed how pink his face was.  
And so I kissed him again. And again. And again and again and again, until he leaned back against the cushions, pulling me on top of him, and broke away.  
“Your Highness—“  
"Call me by my _name,_ Link. Not some lifeless title,” I answered, leaning back to kiss him.  
He smiled sweetly against my mouth. "Zelda."  
"Hm?" I had moved from his lips to his cheeks, following with his chin and the freckled spot near his ear.  
"Are you sure?” He breathed.  
I looked down at him then, a bit bewildered at the question. "Very. Why do you ask?"  
"You. . . You’re the princess, and I’m—”  
“You’re Link,” I replied, a grin breaking across my face. “And I’m Zelda. And I want to kiss you.”  
“Really?” As he laughed, I kissed his forehead.  
“Really.”  
He almost immediately brought me back down to his lips, our smiles pressing clumsily together, and he answered, “Okay.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Hit me up on tumblr [here!](http://takidaka.tumblr.com/)  
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	5. That Kind of Perspective*

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> . . . in which Zelda is pleasantly surprised. (Twice.)

The next day, it was late in the evening before I saw Link again. I'd spent most of the day catching up with Impa, who still had a great deal to tell me about the various events that had happened across the country in the past century.  
"And about twenty years ago, there was a great flooding down in the Faron region--many of the people of Lurelin Village had to evacuate to places like Hateno for almost a year. But they recovered, and now they're better prepared if a similar event were to happen."  
"What caused the flooding?" I asked, shifting my position around on the floor cushion so that my legs were more comfortable. Impa's granddaughter Paya had brought me a lovely tea tray a few minutes beforehand, and I happily mixed a few heaping spoonfuls of sugar into a cup of the earthy beverage.  
"Just fluctuations in temperature, we think. Purah and Symon did a bit more research on it, if you'd like to ask them about it when you visit Hateno," Impa replied, watching amusedly as I mixed my drink. "I'm sure Purah would be overjoyed to see you again, anyway."  
"Yes, I was planning on visiting there next when we leave at the end of the week--especially with all her help with Link and the Sheikah Slate."  
"Speaking of Link," she said, an eyebrow knowingly quirking upwards. "Shall I have someone bring him an extra cot?"  
"Is he finding his bedding unsatisfactory?" Paya worriedly chirped, looking over at us. Her gaze turned to me and she meekly added, "If I may ask, Your Highness."  
I smiled gently at her. "There's no need to worry Paya; you needn't address me in such formal terms, anyhow. Impa is family and so are you."  
"And for that, we are honored. Though the informal address doesn't leave private conversation, my dear granddaughter," Impa grinned, winking at her descendant.  
Paya, flattered and humbled somehow more so by the response, nodded. "Very well. But would a different resting area better suit Master Link?"  
"He is finding it hard to sleep far away from me," I explained. "Even when several of the Sheikah men were guarding my facilities, he has insisted on sleeping outside my door, at the very least. I feel it has to do with his anxiety over recent events. So, as a result, he has taken to resting on the couch inside my quarters, as I wouldn't let him stay out in the cold drizzle after the attack last night."  
Paya nodded understandingly. "Certainty, Your Highne--I mean, yes, P-Princess. I will have the arrangements made immediately." And dutifully, she skirted outside, calling around the town for others to help her.  
"That was a smooth cover," Impa praised. Her wrinkled face was turned decades younger by the happiness that sparkled in her eyes. "Now, are you actually going to tell me what's going on, or am I going to have to weed it out of that boy of yours?"  
By that time, I had just about nervously sipped the remainder of my tea, and was scraping the extra sugar off the bottom of my cup so I could lick it off my fingers. (How I'd missed sweets.) I knew Impa would be able to figure out the change in our relationship before anybody else; I just hadn't been sure how quickly she would do so.  
"Well," I gently admitted, "he _is_ that boy of mine, after all."  
Impa clapped her hands together. "Thank the Goddesses! It's about time!"  
We both laughed at this, and I had to concede to her point. It had, technically, taken more than a century.  
"So? Are you planning on making the courting announcement soon, or are you going to keep it quiet a bit longer?" She asked, relaxing her knees underneath her.  
"It depends." I looked at her earnestly. "How long do you think we'll be able to pull it off?"  
"Perhaps a few more months, so long as the two of you don't slip. The biggest telltale might be Link himself, though; don't think it isn't noticeable that he speaks to you directly. Most of us know for a fact that he, of all people, wouldn't dare address you like that without a very good reason."  
"It's actually been rather difficult for him," I said, smiling fondly. "He's so used to the title that he usually has to start over when we talk."  
"He's nothing if not honorable. It's what makes a good knight, after all," Impa agreed. "Either way, it's up to you two. I don't see any reason why the Royal Council should disapprove, but you don't want to give anyone a reason to start a scandal, either--especially when the kingdom is just beginning to be reestablished."  
"You’ve got a good point." I bit my lower lip as I thought about it. "Do you think it could wait until our next Council meeting in a little more than a month?"  
"I think so," Impa replied. "After all, trying to communicate it in a different way might be a bit. . . Awkward, shall I say?"  
I nodded, mulling over this in my mind. It seemed like the most reasonable option, all things said and done. Then, Impa picked up where she had left off earlier about the events around the country.  
We prattled on for some time--long enough for me to finish off the bowl of sugar on the tea tray--until Link burst through the front doors of Impa's home.  
Almost immediately, the scent of grass and earth flooded my senses. "Zelda, look!" He said excitedly, running up to me with the Sheikah Slate in hand. "I finally caught a picture of a Blupee!"  
"A Blupee?" I asked, unconvinced, but amused by his endearing enthusiasm.  
"Yeah, yeah! They're like these little blue magic bunnies that shit--oh, sorry, poop—rupees if you catch them before they run off. Look, see!" He then showed me a photo of what was undeniably a glowing rabbit-esque creature poking its way out of some tall grass. While I was marveling at the picture, Link looked up and said, "Hi, Impa!"  
"Hello, Link," she laughed dotingly. "I'm glad you found our little rabbit spirits. Did you find anything else interesting?"  
"Not particularly. Though I did have a good time helping Olkin harvest some of the pumpkins that were ready in his field. We got one that was as big around as a Gerudo shield!" He looked back at me and finally sat down by my side. "If you look through the album, Z, you can see the pumpkin—“ I flipped to a picture showing Link smiling goofily at a teeny tiny little gourd that he held in his palm. His eyes widened embarrassedly and he quickly moved to change the picture. “No, even bigger—that was a little runt, that one—“ And he finally directed me to a different photo of himself holding a pumpkin that looked to be the size of half a horse. From the looks of it, even he could hardly lift it higher than his knees.  
"That's _massive!"_ I said incredulously, stunned at the sight of it.  
"Ah, that reminds me!" Impa suddenly exclaimed as she watched us. "Give me one moment--I have something to fetch for you two."  
"Okay," we both chimed, still staring in awe of the picture.  
As Impa got up from her seat and began trekking upstairs, Link continued talking about the pumpkin. "He wouldn't let me cut the vine, even though he won't be able to pick it up off the ground after too much longer. Well, rather, _I_ won’t be able to pick it up off the ground for him. And the girls were so excited that they spent all day climbing up the side of it.“  
At that moment, when I saw Impa's feet had disappeared to the next floor, I reached over and pressed a kiss to Link's cheek. His face immediately turned pink at the touch.  
"Z-Zelda, Impa’s right upstairs—“  
"Relax," I murmured, my hand still against his skin. “She’s already figured it out. Anyway. How is your wound faring?”  
He tried to shake off the embarrassment, but a dopey smile broke across his features nonetheless. "Yeah, it seems to be fine. It didn't hurt at all when I was working in the fields."  
“Good. How are the girls?”  
“Cheery as ever.”  
We spoke for a bit about how our day had been until Impa came back downstairs. When I looked up at her, I noticed there was an assortment of items in her hands: some cotton, a little burlap sack, a small glass bottle, and what looked to be a pincushion.  
“I received your package earlier this afternoon, Link,” she announced, nodding at the bag in her grasp. After taking her seat again, her gaze turned to me. “Princess, would you kindly consider coming and sitting next to me and participating in a short rite of passage?”  
Even more confused now, my eyebrow shot up. “A what, now? Why?”  
“Trust us, Zelda. Go on,” Link smiled, nodding as his elbow gently prodding my side.  
Unconvinced, I still did as asked. Impa moved her cushion slightly back and to the side so that I sat leveled in front of her. Link came over and took a seat by my side, and I felt his hand move to cover my own.  
“Legend has it that the sharp ears of the Hylians and the Sheikah were shaped by the Goddess to hear Her words,” the old lady began. “They are the instruments with which we connect to our Creator, and by which receive the orders that reveal how we are drawn to live our lives. By the order of the Sheikah tradition, when a young man or woman has respectively come of age and discovered his or her duty under the direction of the Goddess Hylia, we choose to decorate these blessed instruments as a sign of our life’s progression.”  
When I heard this, it all began to make sense. I looked surprisedly over at Link, where he watched me with a knowing grin. I started, “Are you about to—?”  
The boy sitting next to me opened the small pouch Impa had brought down, and tipped it over into my hand. Two small hoop earrings of gold, encrusted with shimmering pieces of diamond, shone back at me.  
Gasping, I turned around and stared at the two of them. “When did you two do this?”  
“Link asked me about it the day you both arrived. After he collected the materials, I had it sent to Gerudo town for jewelry making.”  
“I had to go mine for diamonds up in the Eldin province, and I didn’t have a second set of armor for you to wear,” Link admitted, smiling sheepishly at me. “That’s where I was at the beginning of last week—not hunting, like you thought.”  
I blinked, stunned at the reply.  
“Ready?” Impa finally asked.  
Somehow finding my words, I nodded. “Absolutely.”  
Link wiped the skin of my earlobes with a bit of disinfectant and handed the needle and earrings to Impa. As she prepared the instruments, Link offered me his hand.  
"It'll pinch a bit, but you're tough," he smiled. “You can squeeze my hand if you need to.”  
More than anything else, I was touched by the gesture, and by the ritual as a whole. So, I took his proffered hand; but instead of merely gripping it, I made a point to lace my fingers through his own, our palms pressed tightly together.  
"On the count of three," Impa murmured. "One, two, three--"  
There was a sharp pain in my earlobe and I yelped, surprised at the sudden contact. After a few moments, though, when Impa had extracted the needle and replaced it with a hoop, I was so happy and I couldn't be bothered with the pain in the slightest. A minute or two later, she had finished the second piercing as well.  
Link let go of my hand--I'd been squeezing his harder than I had thought--and wiped the open wounds with another round of disinfectant. "Zelda, you'll have to make sure and clean them in the mornings and the evenings--"  
Reaching up, I touched my thumbs to my ears and focused my energy into my hands. My piercings were healed almost instantly, the small amount of blood from my ears coming off onto my fingers.  
Link stared back at me with a sort of deadpanned look and handed me a piece of cotton. “Or, you could do that."  
I turned back to the Sheikah elder and smiled. “Thank you, Impa.”  
She nodded and smiled at the two of us. “It is my honor, Princess. Though, all things said and done, it’s really that knight of yours that you should be thanking.”  
“It’s nothing,” Link replied, scratching his neck self-consciously. “It wasn’t any trouble—“  
But I had leaned over and pulled him to me for a kiss before he could end his phrase. If I had thought his face had been red before, I was duly proven wrong by the color of his skin when I broke away.  
“Zelda. You need to stop doing that,” he said, breaking into a laugh despite himself.  
“Doing what?” I grinned. “Kissing you?”  
“In front of other people, yes—“  
“This is the first time I’ve done it, thank you. And you better get used to it.”  
“That’s rather improper etiquette for a Princess.”  
As we began to bicker, I heard Impa begin to laugh at the two of us. “And I almost thought you two couldn't be a better pair." When we turned and looked at her, she waved us forward. "Go on, you two. I know you've been waiting all day to see each other."

A few nights later, as we were finishing up the rest of our loose ends in Kakariko Village, Link and I were sharing yet another meal after a long day of taking care of business.  
He'd taken to cooking most nights--among his other several talents and skills, apparently making food had become one of his top priorities during his travels. (As much as he liked eating, though, I could hardly admit I was surprised.) Still, it was greatly enjoyable; I'd request a dish with this or that, or just completely let him have free reign, and he'd always surprise me in the best ways with a dinner beyond compare.  
Tonight, I'd let him have his way, and whatever he was making smelled deliciously fruity—and, somehow, familiar. It was a bit chilly outside, and I was sitting on the couch a little ways away from the kitchen area where he worked, a blanket across my lap and book in hand as I read aloud.  
"--the Goddess and Her Messenger were both, as historians have determined, Hylian adolescents on the cusp of adulthood. However, despite the controversy that has derived from academic studies of the nature of the relationship between the two, it is almost indisputable that the Incarnation of the Goddess and Her Messenger were romantically involved.  
"Stories specifically indicate that the two had been childhood best friends and suspected lovers long before the prophecy of The Sky Era befell them. Whether or not this was the design of Hylia's roles for the two lovebirds, it is ultimately presumed that the entire modern race of Hylians afoot in Hyrule today are descended, at varying degrees of length, from the first family this couple created and raised on the Surface, as Hyrule was initially known in ancient times."  
Link, mashing something quite thoroughly in a bowl on the counter, made an impressed noise. He had his sleeves rolled up to the elbows and an old apron tied around his neck, and was covered in flour and egg and something sticky and red. "So the Goddess and Her Messenger were essentially sweethearts, and happened to fall in love after their prophecy and everything else, and all Hylians are inevitably related to them as a result?"  
"That's what it sounds like," I confirmed, scanning through the passage again.  
"That's rather sweet," he said happily. He poured the rich red substance he'd been mixing into another container on the counter, followed by a bit of pale batter, and then stuck into the old wood-burning stove before coming to sit down next to me as he wiped his arms on his apron. “I think it’s sad that there aren’t as many good love stories in our history as there could be.”  
Shrugging, I replied, “I mean, technically, if you look at it from that kind of perspective, our entire history is a love story.”  
Link’s eyebrow rose. “What do you mean?”  
“Well, consider it this way,” I began. “When Hylia first put the Hylians up on the island in the sky, she had done so to protect them--out of her love for them. The Hero and Her Messenger were lovebirds, and we’re descended from them. The Hero of Time’s mother loved him so much that she sacrificed herself for her son. My father taught me that the "First Rule of Ruling" is to do so with compassion. You know, it’s written all over our history, in all our wars against the Beast. Our country’s entire plight against Ganon has essentially been, time after time, a fight of good versus evil, of compassion over hatred—a testament to the strength of the heart.”  
Though he was smiling at me when I finished, he said, “Has anyone ever told you that you might overthink things a little?”  
“Did you happen to meet any of my tutors?” I laughed. “But still—you have to admit that our history is quite romantic, all things considered.”  
“Romantic? As in romancing what, exactly?” Reaching over, he poked my cheek. “Romancing pretty princesses who grow up reading obscure books in the castle, dragging their little uneducated knights along on all of their scholarly adventures and try to coerce them into eating frogs?”  
“Oh, let the frog bit rest already! It was one time! And it’s not like I stuffed it into your mouth,” I retorted, punching him in the shoulder. He was laughing again at me, and I irritatedly added, “For Hylia's sake, why do you keep doing that?”  
“Doing what?”  
“Saying that you’re uneducated, or acting you’re something of a simpleton in comparison to me.”  
“Because, compared to your intelligence, that’s probably what I act like,” he answered simply.  
I stared straight into his eyes. “You really think that? That you’re stupid?”  
“Well, maybe not exactly _stupid—“_  
“Then what?” I asked, drawing the volume of my voice back a bit.  
Link looked back at me with a surprised expression; apparently he hadn’t given the idea much thought. “I just, well. . . It’s difficult to say.”  
I replied with an unconvinced stare.  
He sighed. “I’m not saying that I think I’m dumb or anything like that, I mean. But, you know, I grew up with a knight’s education, and I also advanced so quickly through my combat trials that I never got the full sit-down academic portion before I was appointed to your command. . . So I’m already somewhat limited in what I know, all right? And I do my best to catch on and learn, but all things said and done. . .” His eyes darted away from mine. “I see and listen to you come up with all of these absolutely brilliant facts and ideas that would take me years to realize, if I ever did. And, well, it reminds me that I’m a knight, and you’re a princess, and—“  
I stopped him with my own words. “I’m a human, and you’re a human.”  
“Please, Zelda. It’s not that simple—“  
“Yes, it is,” I said softly, reaching over and touching his cheek. “You’re capable of just as much as I am.”  
The look I got told me that he didn’t quite agree.  
“Come on, love. You’ve been teaching me how to fight. I’ll teach you whatever knowledge you want to learn. It’s a fair trade, don’t you think?”  
Shrugging, he replied, “I guess. I don’t see why you’d waste your time, though.”  
“Because it’s you.” I leaned over and pressed my lips to his forehead, taking his face in my hands. “I’d do anything for you."  
He looked back at me with a strange sort of softness in his eyes—something far different from the usual sharp and curious wit that usually danced there in the blue of his gaze. I felt his hand gently come up to my chin, the callouses on his fingers surprisingly soft against that tender bit of skin, and he brought me down just a tad to kiss me. It felt the way that honey tastes--the way that the summer wind sighs while watching a lovely sunset.  
When he pulled away, he was still quiet, but in a tender way. I wondered, then, if anyone had ever shown this boy any sort of love before—he didn’t quite seem to know what to do with it.  
Still, at the same time, it's not like I hardly did, either.  
“I need to check the cake,” he murmured then, both his eyes still lingering on my lips.  
“We’re having cake for dinner?”  
“Unless you have a problem with that?” he laughed. "Don't think I didn't notice the empty sugar jar on Impa's tray the other day."  
After a moment or two of thought, I conceded to his point, shaking my head and smiling. “Not at all, actually.”  
I let go of him and he stood up, rolling his fallen sleeves back up to the elbows. While he took the dish out of the oven and sliced it into portions, topping it with a bit of what looked to be icing, I watched the muscles fluctuate in his forearms. In truth, I was already starting to think that it might turn out to become a bad habit.  
He came back over with a plate in hand for me, and the rest of the pan for himself. (And considering how much he ran around on a daily basis, I’d stopped commenting on it.) But when he handed it to me, he handed me the larger dish, and I was stunned to see what it actually was.  
“Well, I knew it wasn’t pumpkin pie,” I said, “but how did you. . . ?”  
Link just smiled and nodded. “I have my ways. Go on, try it."  
It was fruitcake—the one my mother always used to make. Apples, wildberries, vanilla cake and buttercream frosting melting down its warm layers. The instant I bit into the pastry, my eyes started to water. “How did you know?”  
“I found an old royal recipe book when I was storming the castle,” Link grinned. “The old chef had it written down inside. I wanted to surprise you.”  
“That’s twice you’ve surprised me in the past week.”  
He shrugged. “It took quite a bit of work.”  
“Still.” I reached over and squeezed his hand. “From the way you do it, it’s like you’ve known me for ages.”  
“Well, technically—“  
“Please don’t make another century-long nap joke,” I said, smiling despite myself.  
“That’s not what I was going to say at all,” he answered with mock offense. He’d already finished his slice of the cake and began picking out of the pan alongside me. “I was just going to say that you and I happen to have quite a history.”  
“That, we do,” I agreed, tapping his fork with my own.  
“Mmhm. So I do already know you rather well. And, if you look at it from that kind of perspective,” he murmured, a playful softness in his tone, “our entire history is a love story, after all.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading the first five chapters!!! (Wow, it's already been so many!) I'm honored that so many of you have sat down with this little story and loved it so much. I feel very blessed!!! :)
> 
> Also, if y'all didn't already know, I'm a professional musician, and that lends itself to me having a playlist whenever I'm writing! So, as a thank you for reading this far, here's a link to the song that this fic is named after--and I'll probably give y'all a link to my entire playlist after a few more chapters! (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8inJtTG_DuU)
> 
> Anyway, thank you!!! There is so much more to come, and I'm so excited to share it with all of you!
> 
> Hit me up on tumblr [here!](http://takidaka.tumblr.com/)  
> If you _really_ love this fic and would like to buy me a coffee, please do so [here.](http://ko-fi.com/A6833FJM) :)
> 
> See you next time!!! ;)


	6. Bundle Up, Buttercup*

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> . . . in which Zelda gets a bit sick.

By the end of the week, we'd said our goodbyes and made the relatively short journey to Hateno Village. Despite all that we had done and had left to do, I could tell that Link was disappointed to have to leave the girls, even though he tried very hard to resume his usual state of complacency. Still, they sent him off with a good quantity of honeyed apples and a kiss on each cheek, and he was much more pacified than he might have been.  
On our second evening of traveling, it was very cold and windy outside. Link and I were still on our last stretch to the village, and were expected to make it to our residence by nightfall. That being said, the sun was in that after-dinner-but-not-quite-sunset position that I fancied, despite the cold weather. I found myself feeling rather unwell earlier that afternoon, so we both shared the back of Epona while Aegis followed along, myself holding her reigns while Link held me steady from behind, arms around my waist. It was wonderfully warm, and surprisingly comfortable, and we found ourselves chattering pleasantly as we watched the sky's gradient progress through its golden ceremonies.  
It was Link's turn to read that night. Since I discovered that his desire to continue his education, we'd been taking turns reading passages from my history books every evening, enjoying each other's company meanwhile. Consequently, I was laying against his chest per usual, though I was abnormally sleepy. He'd pulled a heavy blanket from his pack and had it draped around the two of us; it kept me warm, though I still felt the chill of the wind on my toes, and I had to sit between Link's legs so he wouldn't feel cold, either.  
“’—it has been proposed that the primitive technologies of the Sheikah were first developed even before the events of the Sky Era," he read, doing his best not to stumble on the more complex words He held the book in my lap and was reading from there as I held onto the horse's reigns. I watched the pages with mild interest between focusing my attention on the road ahead, trying not to fall asleep to the cadences of his voice meanwhile.  
“’Archaeologists have discovered traces of what have been called Time Warp Stones, first noted from their use by the Messenger on his plight to rescue the Incarnation of the Goddess. These peculiar rocks, when struck, would transport the surrounding area to a time thousands of years previous to the current moment, allowing access to resources that may not have been available at the present time.  
“’It is by drawing upon this technology that the modern Sheikah race began developing the Guardians, Divine Beasts, Sheikah Slates, and similar other technologies. By utilizing the time-transcending properties of these stones, the modern Sheikah developed products that would never wear, required minimal upkeep, and would withstand the test of time. However, this is not to say that these devices remain in perfect condition throughout Hyrule today. Since the last battle against Ganon over ten millennia ago, these Guardians and Divine Beasts have unfortunately been covered by stone and mineral deposits that have buried them deep underneath the tall grounds of Hyrule.’” Link paused then. “This record is pre-Calamity, isn’t it?”  
“Indeed,” I drowsily confirmed. “It was one of our primary sources in our mission to uncover the Guardians and the Divine Beasts.”  
“Hmm. That makes this book rather old, doesn’t it?” He humorously asked, fingering the delicate pages of the text.  
I nodded, my head lolling against his shoulder, threatening to fall asleep entirely.  
“Hey, Princess. Are you okay?”  
Nodding, I replied, “Just a bit. . . tired, is all.”  
He took his hand out of its thick leather glove and pressed it against my forehead. “Blimey, Zelda! You’re burning up! How long have you been feeling like this?”  
“Just for the past few hours, I think. It’s probably just a cold—“  
I felt him shake his head, and he closed the book, handing it to me as he took back Epona’s reigns. “Either way, we’re not taking any chances. You’ve got a kingdom to rule, and I’ve got a duty to carry out. Hateno is a little ways ahead, so just hold on tight, okay?”  
“Link, really, I’m fine—“  
But I was overpowered by his boots spurring the flanks of the brown horse, and the sound of his sharp whistle as he called Aegis behind us. Epona whinnied and took off at a sprint along the path; I held the blanket and the book closely to me as Link had me pressed against him, his arms coming around either side of me as he gripped the reigns. His face, as it was perched atop one of my shoulders, was taken with the same look of intent that he wore during times of battle, and I felt a weird sort of skip in my chest as I watched him.  
We rode quickly into the sunset—and, for most of it, I wished that the venture would never end.

I awoke to see the front of a small stone house as we approached it, pleasantly overgrown with vines and untrimmed trees and flowers that had overrun the yard. Though the sun was much lower in the sky than I had initially remembered, Link still had me surrounded by his arms, and had wrapped the blanket tightly around my body.  
“Where are we?” I asked, rubbing my eyes.  
“Just made it into Hateno Village,” he answered softly. “Feeling any better?”  
“Not really.”  
He frowned, a look of concern in his eyes. “Well, we’re about to make it home. We’ll figure out what to do when we get inside, yeah?”  
I nodded. “Okay.”  
The house was even cuter upon closer sight of it. I had to say that I preferred it far more than the elegant exteriors of the buildings in Kakariko, as much as I liked them to begin with. This building had a familiar sense of comfort about it that I couldn’t quite place—until, rather, I saw the wooden sign outside the home with Link’s full title carved into it.  
“This is your house?” I gasped. “As in, you own this?”  
He seemed a bit confused at my surprise. “Yes? I’ve been calling it home this whole time.”  
“I thought you meant—” I started, my thoughts racing. Upon consideration, I realized that I didn’t quite know what I thought he meant. “Still.”  
“Is there an issue?” Link asked, laughing.  
“No, I just didn’t know you had an actual home!” I exclaimed. “As far as I knew, I thought you slept on the side of the road most nights. This is a rather pleasant surprise, you know.”  
He shrugged. When we had crossed the bridge leading to the house, he stopped Epona and let go of me, hopping off the back of the horse. He walked around the side and held his arms out to me to help me dismount, and I wrapped my arms around his neck as I came down, but he never set me on the ground. Rather, he carried me inside just like that, despite all my protest, and only let me go when he had climbed the staircase and set me down in the bed.  
“Really, Link. I’m not dying,” I said, embarrassed.  
As if he hadn’t heard me, he pulled his desk chair over and took a seat at the bedside. “Well, you have a fever and chills and you look a bit dehydrated. Are you hungry?”  
“Not really, but you don’t have to—“  
“Zelda.” He looked at me with undeniable seriousness. “Will you do me a favor?”  
“What?”  
“Let me take care of you, all right?” And he moved to pressed his hand to my forehead again. “So stop fighting me. You still a high fever, like I thought. I’m going to run out and get water and stuff for some soup—is there anything else you need?”  
I watched him quietly, still surprised by his request. “No. I’m okay.”  
“All right. I’ll be back in a bit, okay? Just stay here and rest.” He stood up then, turning to head towards the staircase.  
But before he went, I reached over and took hold of his hand, my fingers wrapping around his own. “Thank you, sweetheart.”  
A gentle smile took his lips, and he nodded tinily at me. “It’s my pleasure, Princess.”  
I let go, then, and watched him trot down the staircase with his usual haste, wondering just what I did to deserve a boy like him.

His house was just about exactly what I could’ve expected.  
I couldn’t make myself stay in bed when there was so much to look around and see—especially when it was about Link, and his life before the end of the war. So, still wrapped in my burly, oversized blanket, I plodded around the house, curious to see what I could find.  
The little upstairs area was covered in books and maps that looked as if they’d been raked through with a great urgency; it reminded me of my own room in the castle, back when I would pore over texts until late into the nighttime. A small cactus, most likely from the Gerudo region, grew contentedly in a windowsill by his desk. He had pictures—mostly of the ones I had left on the Sheikah Slate before his death—framed and hung around the walls. Some of them were images of lovely landscapes, a few of the Champions on our old adventures, a couple of me exploring ruins or holding curious objects. There were others that were taken of him smiling happily with the Zora Prince Sidon and other people I didn't know, and a few with little Koroks climbing his limbs, and one that looked relatively recent of him goofily holding a Blood Moon at an angle between his fingers. I laughed as I saw this, wondering just how many ridiculous shots it must have taken for him to get it just right.  
Otherwise, there were rare and gorgeous pieces of weaponry and gear hanging all around the walls on the lower floor, alongside a small kitchen area and a table with settings for two. He had a decent stockpile of dried foods and spices, including a small reserve of wildberry wine—something I wasn’t sure that he hadn’t come by on somewhat backhanded terms—and had them all haphazardly scattered across his little kitchen countertop, like he’d made something quickly and darted off before he had much time to clean. That wasn't to say it was dirty, though; just a tad unorganized.  
I was tempted to go outside and get a good survey of the exterior of the building, but given the chilly temperature outside and the fact that Link was already so concerned about me, I confined myself to looking through the windows I could access. There was only really one I could get to—the one where the little cactus was—and I spent a good five or ten minutes looking out at his yard. There was a little pond with frogs and lilypads and what looked to be Silent Princess growing effortlessly around the banks; he had lilacs and impatiens growing by the shady area near a rock wall. The grass of the yard was a bit overgrown, but sporadically planted with dandelions and safflina and Hyrule Herb, giving it the appearance of an unkempt field on the side of Sartori Mountain.  
When I got tired of looking and not being able to touch, I climbed down from my perch in the window, meandering back downstairs to his little kitchen stove. After piling a bit of wood into the furnace, I set a kettle to boil with the rest of the water that had been in my canteen, and rummaged through his collection of herbs until I found enough variety to make a warm tea.  
I was sipping a mug of said beverage contentedly, looking carefully at his weapon collection, when he finally came back.  
He was still in his traveler’s gear from earlier; his classic pair of boots, a pair of Hylian trousers that had been dyed white to match his blue Champion tunic, and a matching snowy hood that concealed his face from unwarranted attention. He was out of breath like he had been running and clutched a large sack in his hands, both his nose and cheeks flushed pink from the cold.  
“What’re you doing?” He asked curiously, pushing back his hood and unwrapping the bag on the tabletop. Inside, I noticed he had all the meat and vegetables to undeniably be making chicken soup.  
Smiling back at him over my mug, I replied, “Just looking around. Is this bow from the Royal Guard’s set?”  
“Indeed it is—as is that claymore on the other wall, and the shield across from it.”  
For the next several minutes, we discussed his collection as he prepared the food. (I was chastised away from helping since I was apparently too ill to work.) And as it turned out, he had not only the entire Royal Guard’s set of weapons, but also the Royal series, all of the different Blizzrobe wands, each signature item given to him by the descendants of the Champions, and so much more that I could hardly believe it.  
He seemed very glad that I was so interested in the weaponry—though, me being me, I didn’t know why he hadn’t expected it in the first place. Upon finally promising to teach me how to use the various wands and letting me have a chance to shoot with Revali’s Great Eagle Bow as soon as I was well, he finally came over and set a steaming bowl of hot soup in front of me.  
The scent of strong spices and hearty flavors hit me immediately, and I almost burnt my tongue out of my eagerness to try it. Thankfully, though, he had brought a large barrel of water inside earlier, as well, and I was able to cool myself off with a nice glass after I had finished my tea.  
By the time we had finished off the pot of soup, it was finally dark outside. Since I was feeling a bit more energized—not necessarily “better” yet, though—we had resumed our studies from earlier. But because he didn’t have a couch, we took up residence atop his bed, leaning against the nearby wall as we sat and covered in his fluffy blankets.  
“‘Another example of this time-encompassing use of Sheikah technology is the development of blue flame as a means of a fuel source for various types of energies. Though the Sheikah technologists have been relatively secretive about the means by which this fuel source is derived, it has been inferred that the blue laser offensive attacks used by the Guardians are created by the channeling of the energy of a small blue flame that resides within each individual unit.’” Link looked over at me after he finished the paragraph. “Is that really true?”  
“I’m not sure,” I said, leaning my head against his shoulder. “I never got the chance to ask Purah before the Calamity struck.”  
“Well, she does use a blue flame to power up the Guardian Stone she has in her facility,” Link realized, a pensive expression on his face. “Perhaps. . . Huh. Perhaps they do.”  
And he continued reading for quite some time. As I had already studied the text rather thoroughly, I found myself a bit bored by the repetition of the information. Still, I didn’t want for him to grow discouraged by this—I knew he probably got a bit bored himself, teaching me how to fight.  
As I began dozing off for the second time that evening, I noticed that my patience had grown tremendously over the past however many years. (Maybe having to wait around in a castle for a century had something to do with it.) But all things said and done, I was most immensely pleased with the fact that even while doing a task I found rather uninteresting, I was greatly enjoying that I was simply able to spend time with Link.  
I awoke some time later to the feeling of him playing with my hair, brushing it out of my face and tying a few strands into braids behind my head. As I sleepily looked up at him, he smiled at me. “Welcome back, Your Highness.”  
Rolling my eyes, I sat up, realizing that I had ended up laying across his lap. I’d probably fallen there while he was reading. Slightly embarrassed by this, I asked him, “What time is it?”  
“I’m not entirely sure, but apparently late enough to knock you out again. Come on. I’m going to run to the bathroom while you change and get ready for bed.” And with a bit of a shuffle, he picked himself off the bed and walked back down the stairs, leaving me to myself once again.  
I noticed that he had brought my pack in sometime earlier in the evening, and it rested to the side of his mattress. After rummaging though it for a bit, I pulled an old green pajama set from inside and changed out of my riding gear, happy that I had thought to bring a set with long sleeves and pants.  
Link came back inside as I was putting a fresh pair of socks over my feet, having himself changed into a more comfortable shirt and baggy pair of old work pants. He brought up a glass of water and a damp rag and lit a tall candle on the nightstand beside me.  
“All righty, now. Time to bundle up, buttercup,” he said, setting both items over on his desk.  
“What?” I laughed. “Have I suddenly turned back into a child?”  
“Well, now that we’re in the vicinity of Purah, maybe so!” he grinned. When I was reluctant to do as he asked, he reached over and prodded my shoulder. “Come on, Zelda. Humor me.”  
“Link, I’m not three years old—“  
“Ah, but you’re still a little Princess!” he smiled, reaching over and wiggling his fingers under my armpits. I shrieked with laughter as he tickled me, and we fell back onto the bed, his hands grazing my skin as I tried to push him away. Before long, despite my best efforts, he had managed to get me down on my back and looking up at him, while he stared down at me from above.  
As we caught our breaths, I started, “I suppose you win this time, Hero.”  
“I suppose I do.” Leaning down, he pressed a kiss against my forehead. “Now, get some rest. Do you need anything else?”  
“Other than you off of me, no. I can’t concentrate on getting my beauty sleep when you’re so close to me.”  
“All right, fine,” he said, reluctantly rolling off the side of the bed, but not without finally throwing the blankets over me and setting the damp cloth against my skin. “As you wish. Sweet dreams, Zelda.”  
But as he made to leave, I caught him again by the hand. Surprised, he looked back down at me.  
“Don’t go,” I said quietly. “Stay.”  
He smiled softly. “I am staying. I’ll be right downstairs.”  
“No, I mean _here,”_ I reiterated, nodding my head over at the open area of the bed. “With me.”  
Despite the low light, I saw that his eyes were wide, and his cheeks were flushed. “W-why?”  
“Because I’m cold, and I like you.” I began scooting over to the back half of the mattress, creating a bigger space for him. “Come on, now. It won’t be anything more than sleep. And, it’s not fair for you to be sleeping somewhere hard and cold.”  
“You’re sick and need a good night’s sleep—“  
“All right, all right,” I sighed. “I suppose I _actually_ need to say that _I don’t want you_ sleeping somewhere hard and cold.”  
We looked at each other for several quiet moments, passing silent messages between our eyes. I finally raised my arms after a bit, opening the covers to him, and without another word, he climbed up next to me.  
He was warm, and he smelled like earth and spice when he hit the sheet. Though he seemed a bit uncomfortable at first, I snuggled my way comfortably against his side, and I eventually felt him relax as he leaned slightly into me.  
Before I fell asleep, I reached over and took his hand in my own, turning my face towards his ear.  
“Good night, Link,” I murmured, squeezing my fingers.  
He looked sweetly back over at me, his own hand pressing mine back. “Good night, Zelda.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Hit me up on tumblr [here!](http://takidaka.tumblr.com/)  
> If you _really_ love this fic and would like to buy me a coffee, please do so [here.](http://ko-fi.com/A6833FJM) :)


	7. Baptism*

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> . . . in which Zelda feels fire in two different ways. ;)

I awoke the next morning from the deepest and sweetest sleep I'd ever had.  
Despite the fact that I was probably warmer than a furnace even when I felt colder than an icebox, Link didn’t ever distance himself from me on the bed. It had been a freezing night on top of it, and I distinctly remembered barely waking up just enough to fix a corner of a blanket that was trapped under me; Link had had his head nestled against my shoulder, and there was a wonderful, warm feeling in my chest when I realized his presence.  
When I did wake up again, several hours later, I found that he had gone. It was much warmer this morning—I was almost sweating through my pajamas, and threw the comforter off with haste. Standing up, and looking around, I observed that all of his belongings were still scattered around the house, but he was nowhere to be seen.  
Yawning and stretching my arms up to the ceiling, I thought to myself that he was probably feeding the horses or working outside. I rolled my sleeves to my elbows and plodded down the stairs and out the front door, wrinkling my eyes in the bright morning light.  
It was breezy and sunny outside, and not too far into the morning. I was glad that I hadn’t slept in for too long, even though I had been sick.  
And with that, I suddenly remembered that I _had_ been sick. As in, past tense. I felt as good as new as I walked around the corner of the house, surprised that I had gotten over the illness so quickly.  
But I was even more surprised when I walked over and saw Link bathing in his little pond, standing butt naked as he rinsed off his skin.  
Before I could stop myself, I shrieked at the sight of him. He spun around immediately, showing me his other half, and we stared wide-eyed at each other for several awkward moments.  
Finally, I found enough sense to turn around, staring exasperatedly at the rough exterior of the stone house.  
I heard him start stammering behind me. “Oh, _shit_ —oh, my Goddess. I-I'm _sorry,_ Zelda, I didn’t think you’d be awake for a few more hours--"  
"No, you're okay!" I said, waving my hand behind me in his direction. "It's not like you knew, and, uh, personal hygiene is, uh, _important,_ and, um. Uh. I-I'm gonna--yeah--"  
"Yeah, o-okay," he replied.  
"Okay," I repeated, speeding off back into the house.  
Holy _shit._  
When I got inside, I had to take a seat. And despite all the things running around in my head, the only thing I could really, actually make out out my thoughts was the same phrase: _holy shit._  
There was no way to pretend like I hadn't seen every inch of his ass. And his back. And Goddess, his _thighs._ He could choke me dead with those thighs and I wouldn't even argue. And then he turned around, and--  
I had to hold myself upright against the table as I caught my breath, my eyes still wide. The worst part, I thought, was that despite my shock, I knew for a fact that I _didn't want to look away._  
Goddess, help me.  
After probably five minutes of just sitting, trying to regather myself, I carefully got up. He'd brought eggs in at some point earlier in the morning along with some bacon, so I grabbed those and a frying pan and made myself busy cooking breakfast.  
Link didn't come back inside until I had almost finished cooking two omelets, which were stuffed with peppers and mushrooms and whatever other produce I found lying around. While I moved them onto two plates, he tossed his towel and old clothes in a hamper, and took a seat at the table as he tried to relieve the awkwardness in the room.  
"That smells really good," he said, looking over at the plates.  
I was finishing up the bacon then, and flipped it in the pan. Smiling timidly, I answered, "Thanks."  
"How're you feeling?"  
"Perfectly well, thanks to you."  
"Nonsense," he answered, shrugging. "With your healing abilities, it's no wonder that you recovered so quickly. I just helped facilitate it."  
"But you still _helped,"_ I argued. At that moment, I divvied up the strips of meat between the plate, and went to pour the leftover bacon grease in an old tin can that he had perched on a windowsill. Unfortunately, though, me being fairly clumsy and already a bit nervous, my hand slipped on the handle of the skillet, and a decent amount of the grease rolled back onto my hand.  
"Mother _fucker--"_ I shouted, dropping the skillet onto the stovetop. It splattered all over the back wall of the kitchen, the stove, and the tops of my arms, but thankfully my sleeve hadn't been rolled all the way up. Still, I was already tearing up at the immense pain of the wound.  
Link, being his usual self, immediately darted over and took my hand in his, surveying it worriedly. "Good Goddess, that's a second-degree burn--"  
"Fucking _shit,"_ I was still cursing, finally ripping my hand from his grasp and waving it frantically in the air in an attempt to cool it off. _"Son of a bastard's whore--"_  
"Here, sit down," he said, reaching for a clean cloth in the drawer if he cupboard. "Can you heal yourself?"  
"It takes longer if it's my own body, and depending on-- _shit!"_ I grunted, hot tears running down my nose as he gently pressed the towel over my wound in an attempt to get the grease off. "--Depending on how severe it is."  
His face was wrinkled with worry. "Hylia, Zelda. . . You really hurt yourself." He went to the counter and poured some water in a bowl, bringing it over for me to set my hand in. I thanked him with a grateful look.  
While I soaked my hand, he gathered up some herbs and a few jars from his spice collection. When he came over, I saw that he had Palm Fruit oil, cool safflina, Hyrule Herb, and mint, and he began pouring small amounts in a bowl on the table and mixed them together.  
After a few minutes of watching him, he looked up at me. "Are you okay if I put some of this on it, or do you want to soak it a bit longer?"  
I sighed, shrugging. "Might as well. It's not going to get any better by letting it prune." Grimacing, I pull my hand from the water and gently dried it on the towel.  
While the pain had mildly subsided--though not by much--the true nature of the injury had been revealed. The flesh was dark around the edges and already starting to blister, a gruesome red swelling bubbling under the skin all along my hand and lower forearm. And despite how careful he was being as he applied it to the area, I still couldn't help but cry out at the feeling of his touch.  
When he had finished, the relief hit me like a bus. I made a mental note to make sure that I got all of his remedies down in a book somewhere in the library, so that others would be able to use them. He probably had dozens.  
"You know," he said, smiling at me while he wiped his fingers off, "I've never heard a royal curse so vehemently."  
"Well, you've probably never seen a royal give herself a terrible burn, either," I admitted, laughing along with him at my reply. After the giggling subsided, we were left looking at each other awkwardly. I noticed after a few moments that I was biting my lower lip.  
"Listen. I'm sorry about earlier," he said. "I didn't mean to--"  
"It's okay," I stopped him gently, shaking my head. "Don't worry about it."  
His eyes trailed from my face to my hand, and then slightly up to my sleeve. "I think that shirt has seen the last of its days."  
"No kidding," I agreed, frowning at the discolored grease stains. "Now I really know I need a bath."  
"Well, go ahead and take one, and I'll wrap your hand up afterwards. Okay?"  
"Yeah."  
He helped me carry my new set of clothes, a towel, and my comb outside, where he had left the soap and shampoo at the edge of the pond earlier that morning. After I managed to pull my hair from its already frazzled braid, I turned back to look at him.  
"Well, you're all set, Princess," he said, leaning down and placing my items in separate stacks close to me. "Let me know if--"  
"Link."  
Standing back up to his full height, he gave me an inquisitive look.  
"If I may--you--I would like--" I stuttered, nervously fingering the hem of my ruined tunic. Realizing I was making a fool of myself, I sighed. "I would like. . . I'd like to show you something."  
"What is it?" He asked curiously. "Do you have a burn somewhere else?"  
Part of me was absolutely baffled by his density, while the other part thought it was adorable. (That sort of duality was common when I was around him.) But when I started to pull up the edge of my tunic, he suddenly started, "Z-Zelda, I don't--"  
"You don't what?" I asked nervously, my midriff already bare.  
He seemed almost overwhelmed, and his face had flushed in a single moment--just, as I figured, mine had. "I-I don't, well. . . Want you to feel like you _owe_ me something since. . . And. . ."  
"Since. . . ?"  
"Since you saw me."  
I let go of my shirt and moved a little closer to him. "It's not like that. I, well. . ." I said, forcing myself to look at him. "I would _like_ to."  
His eyes were wider than a full moon. "You would?"  
"I-if I may."  
We stared at each other for a laboriously long time, unsure of what to do. While I was internally freaking out, I realized that at the same time, he had not moved even a single inch away from me.  
So I turned from him, returning closer to the edge of the pond. With a small amount of struggle because of my hand, I shakily pulled my tunic over my head. And following that came my trousers and socks, until I was just as bare as he had been earlier.  
I almost shivered at the contact of the cool breeze against my skin, despite the warmth of the sunlight, and took a deep breath. Then, mustering up every ounce of courage I had within me, I turned around.  
His face was as flushed as wildberry wine, and he blinked at me like he couldn't quite believe what he was seeing. Before he even made a sound, his hand moved up to cover his mouth, and my heart skipped several beats as he did so.  
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, I turned away again and walked into the water, not stopping until the liquid starlight had completely covered my head. 

He was very quiet when I came back inside.  
While I had finished cleaning myself, he'd straightened up the kitchen--including setting the two saved omelettes on the warm stovetop--and was sitting once again at the table, mixing a bit more of his ointment in his little bowl.  
"Where do you want me to put all of this?" I asked softly, gesturing to the dirty laundry that I held in my good hand.  
He looked up timidly, not quite meeting my eyes. "You can throw it in my hamper. We can just do laundry all at once."  
Nodding, I meandered over to his wooden bin, piling the ruined and damp fabrics on top of his own. After that, I sat down in my original seat beside him at the table, offering my burned hand.  
"It's already looking a bit better," I said positively, noticing that the swelling had reduced by quite a lot in my hand. "Where in the world did you learn all of this?"  
"All over Hyrule," he answered simply, smiling and reaching over for his ointment again.  
We were quiet once more as he smoothed the gel thickly over the wound, the numbing feeling of the mint dulling the constant pain. After that, he wrapped it in a clean roll of cotton fabric, tying it off underneath my palm.  
"Are you okay?" I finally asked. He normally was never quiet; even when it was awkward earlier, he was still a chatterbox.  
"I'm," he started, obviously still unsure of his words. Finally, he looked up at me with deliberate seriousness. "I think it might be best if. . . If we sleep in separate beds. A-and stay in separate houses."  
This hit me like a knife in the gut. "Why?"  
His gaze faltered, and his blue eyes falling towards the ground. "Because it's not _proper--"_  
My leg, which I'd had crossed over my other knee, fell the the floor with a thump. This surprised him, and he jolted and looked back up at me.  
"Proper? You're telling me we're improper?" I said then, so angry I was beginning to tear up. Of _all_ be ways to be humiliated. "I thought you _wanted_ to see me--"  
"I _did,"_ he immediately interrupted, cheeks flushing again. "I _still do._ Hylia, it's just, well," he managed to get out. Reaching over, he took my uninjured wrist in his grasp. "There are things that we do that just--they're too much--and I have to stop myself--" He paused again, taking a deep breath and regathering his thoughts. "There are things I would like to do with you that are. . . well, they're _improper,_ Zelda. And after seeing you--Goddess help me--I don't want anything to happen that might hurt you."  
I blinked at him for several moments, my surprised tears rolling down my cheeks. Looking immensely troubled, and rather flustered, he reached up and wiped them away with his thumbs.  
"You could _never_ hurt me," I whispered.  
Unconvinced, and immensely nervous, he murmured, "I-I'm just trying to do what's best."  
But then, I finally closed the space between us with a kiss, smashing against him with a burning force. Though he initially pulled away with surprise, he immediately returned, his lips and tongue and face and skin pressing hard against my own.  
A few minutes later, he came away once again. "Zelda, I _can't_ keep doing this."  
"Why not?" I breathed heavily.  
Embarrassed, he looked away. "It's so hard to not keep touching you when it's like this--"  
I'd finally had enough. I picked up one of his hands and deliberately ran it under my shirt, not stopping until I pressed his palm down on one of my breasts.  
"Then _touch me,"_ I murmured, an ounce of my commandeering tone revealing itself in my voice.  
"Z-Zelda," he stuttered, eyes wide. "This isn't--"  
Interrupting his sentence, I answered, "Forget that. Forget that I'm a princess and you're a knight. Forget that we're anything other than two people who obviously _want_ each other."  
He stared confoundedly at me.  
"I am yours," I murmured shakily, leaning my forehead against his, "if you will be mine."  
"Are you really suggesting--"  
"I'm not _suggesting_ anything. I'm _offering_ as much or as little as you want, love."  
After a few silent moments, as if talking to himself, he asked, "Is this a good idea?"  
I wrapped my fingers around his hand that I still had pressed against my breast, forcing him to feel the softness and my heartbeat that was there. He looked up at the ceiling both like he was both thanking the Goddesses and asking for forgiveness, and it gave me immense satisfaction, despite how horribly nervous I still felt.  
Then, like a dam breaking, he pulled me tight against him, his other arm around my waist like a steel band, and there wasn't even room for air.  
My shirt was clumsily removed, followed by me pulling out the ponytail in his hair, and we moved so quickly that I didn't care how our clothes came off so long as they did. When we were down to just our undergarments, and I was biting down into his collarbone, he spoke.  
“You don't have to do this--" he said, followed by a rather embarrassing noise.  
"What?" I asked, pulling away, looking at him.  
"If you don't want to," he said. His face was flushed almost as deeply as the red wound in my hand. Still, he held me against him, fingers dawdling around my bare waist.  
"I've spent an entire _century_ wanting to do this," I breathed, looking straight at him.  
Without hesitation, he kissed me again, more forcefully than ever before. I reciprocated. And in a swift motion, he had picked me up off of his lap and carried me up to the bed.  
When he dropped me down onto the mattress, I immediately pulled him so that he was hovering above me. (What a _view._ )  
"Are you sure?" He asked one last time, his breath ragged. “It’s against tradition—“  
“Link. I don’t _care_ about some blasted tradition,“ I answered, finally tearing his boxers down. I reveled at the sight of what I found there. And almost immediately, his lips were burning on my neck and I sighed as I pulled him down against me. “I _want_ you. Goddess, I _love_ you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Hit me up on tumblr [here!](http://takidaka.tumblr.com/)  
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	8. Tête-à-tête*

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> . . . in which there is a lot of pillow talk.

We didn't leave the house for the rest of the afternoon.  
We never actually ended up doing _everything_ that I thought might happen--it turned out that Link was a bit too bashful for all of that just then--but there was still a lot that, well, _did._ All things said and done, we woke up from our lazy nap much later in the evening, sprawled across the soft blankets and pillows on the mattress, disturbed only by the sunlight that was brightly pouring through the window.  
Well, only I was disturbed by it. It kind of surprised me how deep of a sleeper Link still was, though I thought it was probably in part because he was in his own house. It also surprised me how unabashedly pretty he was, now that I openly let myself think about him that way. His skin was smooth--despite the scars--and looked like it was gilded across his frame. There was a subtle and wonderful softness that I'd discovered on his lower abdomen, where some of those pies must have made their home, and he hadn't done quite enough running around just yet to see them off. His hair was a frazzled mess of golden thread that shimmered as it caught the light. His eyelashes, darker than the rest of his hair, were long and made his face look sharp, and I knew underneath even that, his eyes were the most honest blue I would ever find beneath the skies.  
He slept peacefully, with his mouth slightly open and laying on his back. Initially I was laying on my back and he wrapped his arms around my waist; now, I was doing the same to him, my head resting on his shoulder. It was a strange, homely comfort; it was almost as if we'd been sleeping this way for ages, though I knew that wasn't true. (But I wouldn't have minded if it was.)  
"Goddess Hylia above. You know that I'm going to have to propose to you after that?" he murmured groggily after a while longer, moving his forearm over his eyes to block out the sunlight in the room.  
"Oh, no," I replied in a deadpan tone, tracing shapes on his chest where it peeked out from under the sheets. "What an _inconvenience._ It's as if I never wanted that to happen. And here I thought I was going to have all this space in my bed to myself for the rest of my life."  
He cracked one eye open, rubbing the other as he smiled. "It's a pity. The Princess of Hyrule having to share her room. What _will_ the Council say?"  
"They shall be so _dreadfully_ upset," I replied in a mock-formal tone. Then I escaped his hold and moved forward to rest my chest on top of his, hovering above his face, combing his bangs between my fingers. "They'll think I've been overcome by some irresponsible, uncaring _rascal_ of a young man. One who can't even grow a patch of chest hair."  
"Woe is you," Link laughed, shaking his head. "A man who can't grow chest hair. . . What a disgrace. Yet here I am, my skin bare as a baby's bottom, a shame to men and women alike."  
"Indeed." I leaned down and pressed a kiss into his sternum. "A wonderful, beautiful shame."  
His smile got bigger, and he reached up to me for another kiss. "Okay, but seriously. What will the Council say?"  
"To what?"  
"Us."  
I thought about it for a few moments, carefully considering my words. "I don't think they'll have any objections, so long as we don't tell them about all of our _doings_ in full detail."  
Link's eyebrows rose. "Really? Why?"  
"Because," I said, starting to giggle, "I think the majority of those who know us well have assumed it would happen for a long time."  
Link began laughing along with me. "That's probably true, actually."  
"So you admit it?" I asked, rolling over off of his chest and back against his side.  
"Admit what?"  
"That you've been in love with me for a while."  
His eyebrows rose again. "Well, yes. Probably ever since I was appointed to your command."  
I looked over at him. "Okay, that's not true. No way."  
"Yes it is," he said, laughing. "I wouldn't lie to you, Zelda."  
"But I was so _horrible_ to you at first--"  
"But I knew it was because of the pressures you were having to deal with. Better you had taken it out on me rather than anybody else, for that matter."  
He caught my gaze and held it for a long moment. Eventually I looked away and rested my head back against his chest.  
"I can't believe your patience."  
"Believe me: I am _not_ the most patient swordsman."  
"Then why didn't you say anything before now?" I asked, happily pressing my fingers against the soft area on his stomach. "If you felt that way for so long."  
Link was quiet for a few moments before he spoke. "Well, what did I have, for starters? I'm an orphan without anything to my name. I couldn't have given you anything like a family-in-law, not to mention without diminishing your titles." His fingers wound between mine. "I also didn't want to make things awkward between us. Not to mention that you kind of hated me for a while there, so I was never quite sure of myself. There's also the fact that I was just about dead for a century."  
I thought about this for awhile. He still held my hand with his fingers looped between mine, and he silently brushed the side of my palm with his thumb meanwhile.  
"Still. I would have chosen you over all that any day," I eventually murmured. "Once I wised up, that is."  
"Zelda, be reasonable."  
"I _am_ being reasonable," I said. "You are a good man with a wonderful heart who has had terrible luck with some things. Everyone knows it. Everyone agrees. I would choose you even if you had horns and a tail and the entire kingdom would still think it a proper match." I was sitting up then, leaning against his chest once more. "You focus on the things you aren't without realizing everything that you are. And while it's kept you humble, it's a pity and a shame that you don't acknowledge what a wonderful person you've made yourself to be."  
He shook his head. "Don't flatter me, Zelda."  
"Link," I said firmly, "Honesty is not the same as flattery. I would pick you any day, any second of the remainder of my life, even if the rest of the world tried to tell me no. You are the best thing to ever happen to me. To this _kingdom._ And I don't want you to _ever_ think otherwise."  
We stared speechlessly at each other for several long moments. He was visibly flustered--his cheeks were pink and mouth was gaping.  
A few seconds later, I finally sat up and pulled a stray sheet around my shoulders. His gaze fluttered away embarrassedly. (As if he hadn't seen all of me a few hours earlier.) "Are you hungry?" I asked softly.  
"Yeah," he murmured, looking around for his shirt. "I can cook, if you want, since your hand is messed up."  
I reached over and took his hand. "Hey."  
Link glanced back over at me, his gaze uneasily settling on my neck, right where I knew there was a blemish left over from earlier in the day.  
"You did that," I said, smiling.  
He nervously looked away.  
"You also gave me one on my shoulder. See?" I pointed to the second bruise-like mark on my skin. "And you've got a matching mark right there on your collarbone. I did that."  
He reluctantly broke into a grin. "You did."  
"Mmhm." I crossed my legs, letting the fabric of the blanket drape across me as it fell. "I enjoyed it. Did you?"  
"I did," Link quietly replied.  
"And you feel the same way about me that I feel about you?"  
"I do."  
"So there's nothing to be ashamed of?"  
He uneasily looked back over at me, not answering the question.  
My eyebrow furrowed. "What's wrong?"  
"It's just," he started, "I feel like it's weird. Or strange. I don't know how to explain it very well--just that it's odd that you're the Princess of Hyrule, and I'm your knight, but yet here we are, acting as if we haven't been given these divine destinies, as if we weren't extraordinary." He spoke quickly. "It's also weird that I'm laying _anywhere_ in proximity to you while naked. And it's even weirder that you like me as much as I like you."  
"So, basically, we're living miracles and everything seems to be a beautiful coincidence?" I asked, leaning down to blow raspberries against his skin. He giggled delightedly, the sound rising out of his chest in bubbling cadences. I reached up and kissed him quickly. "I think that's what they call fate, my dear. But anyways. I'm quite hungry, too, since our breakfast and lunch were so thoroughly interrupted. What do you want to eat?"  
He was still laughing, and shook his head at me. "Bacon and eggs. Apple juice. For Hylia's sake, Zelda, I could eat _you."_  
"Could you, now?" I giggled, moving towards him. His arms found their way back around my waist, and both of my hands were running through his hair. I kissed him again, my bare chest falling again his own, and marveled at the feeling. "I'd love to see you try."

We decided later in the night to go say hello to Purah and Symon since we had postponed doing so the night before. So, decking ourselves in our traveling attire and saddling up the horses, we casually rode up the pathway through Hateno Village up to the Ancient Tech Lab. I could see the lovely glow of the furnace's blue flame a mile away, and we continued on in normal conversation until we made it outside the facility.  
"Now, around the time I woke up, Purah was conducting an experiment and had a bit of. . . Well, an accident," Link told me as we came to a stop. He slid off of his horse and came over to help me, per usual, and I pecked him on the cheek as I set foot on the ground.  
"What kind of an accident?" I asked, adjusting his disheveled sleeves for him.  
"Apparently she had been working on an age-reduction device that would turn old veterans back into young soldiers," he said, smiling at me as I finished fixing his clothes. "And, like usual, she tried it on herself, and there were some rather interesting side effects."  
I squinted at him. "You're not gonna tell me what happened, are you?"  
"No, it's more of something you need to see for yourself, to be honest."  
"All right, then," I said, not entirely sure that I was going to be quite as surprised as he thought I'd be.  
But, despite my assumptions, he was _entirely_ correct.  
"Symon, where in the _hell_ did I put my glasses?" A shrill, high-pitched voice shrieked as we entered the lab.  
The older Sheikah man, Symon, looked exasperatedly at a small child who was bouncing around a table full of old parts and scraps. She wore a very fluffy violet skirt and petticoat--one so voluminous that I was reminded of my own childhood wardrobe, when my mother would take great delight in dressing me--and had her long hair tied up out of the way with several red ribbons. A welding helmet was angrily clutched in her small fist, and she squinted furiously at her assistant as she searched for her spectacles.  
"They're on top of your head, Purah," Link said, eyebrows raised. Symon gave him a grateful look as we entered and smiled when he saw me.  
"Well, if I wanted help from a Hylian who can't even _find_ the time to visit me with the Princess in tow, I would _ask,"_ she spat back sassily, pulling her red glasses from atop her bangs with indignation. "Hylia knows you only come visit me in the first place when you want somethi--"  
And at that point, she had adjusted her frames well enough to see myself as well as the boy next to me.  
"Oh, my Goddess," she bubbled animatedly, immediately jumping off of her worktable and skirting over to us. "Your Majesty, I can't believe it--"  
I was laughing incredibly hard by the time I bent down to pick her up in my arms--she weighted as little as Cottia at her smaller size. "Hello, Purah! It's so wonderful to see you!"  
"I told you I'd bring her by," Link muttered contemptuously. "But no, Purah _never_ believes anybody who doesn't explain themselves in every conversation by using the scientific method--"  
"Oh, shut up, you brute," she retorted, reaching over and smacking him on the arm. "You know I've always had faith in you. And now you've finally gone and reminded me why!" She said, turning back to me again. "How are you, my liege? You don't look a day over sixteen!"  
"And you don't look a day over five!" I joked, raising my eyebrows.  
"Six, _thank you,_ and I'm about to turn seven next week. But how are you--what happened to your hand?"  
Carrying her back over to her worktable, I set her down so that she was at about my height. Link walked back to shake hands with Symon, and they exchanged a few snide remarks, from the look of the mischievous smile on his face.  
"I burnt my hand cooking breakfast earlier this morning," I said. "I actually haven't seen it in a while--it might be looking better. . ."  
"You mean to tell me that Link makes you cook your own food?!" she said, already turning to accuse him once again.  
He was already ready to make a jab at her with one of his usual witty retorts, heading towards her with his head cocked to the side, but I interjected, "No, I had woken up early and Link was taking a bath. Figured I'd try to make myself useful."  
"That's right, Purah. I take care of my liege--"  
"But you still let her burn herself!"  
"It was an accident, and I was very concerned, and I also helped fix her up," he started arguing.  
I glanced over at Symon, who had obviously gotten into the good habit of ignoring the two of them bickering, and wondered just how much he'd heard of them to have reached that point.  
"Anyway," Purah finally said, speaking loudly over Link. "What have you two been up to?"  
"Well, we arrived yesterday, but I was feeling unwell, so Link took care of me and we went to bed early. . . And then we woke up and, uh," I started, quickly remembering what we _had_ been doing all day. I glanced at Link and tried to suppress the heat I felt in my cheeks. "We've been reviewing our plans to tour the country, and have just been taking it a bit easy ever since."  
Purah nodded as she listened. "That sounds rather restful. I take it you're feeling much better now?"  
“Thanks to Link,” I chimed.  
Purah eyed the blonde boy standing next to me. "Well, I'm glad he's been good to you." She studied him for a few more seconds, and then asked, "What are all those spots on your neck, Link?"  
I realized that he'd forgotten to wear a collared shirt; all of the love bites I'd left on him earlier were finally blooming into dark bruises on his neck.  
"Oh, those," he said a bit nervously, suddenly realizing it himself. "I, ah, fell asleep in some grass a few days ago. Woke up with ticks all over me."  
"Interesting," she said suspiciously. "Where were you?"  
"Her Majesty wanted to take a survey of the flora near Fort Hateno."  
"I see."  
“Uh-huh.”  
I worried that she probably had caught on, but unlike Impa, she decided to let it rest. “Well, I’m glad you are both safe and well, all things considered. Has the Sheikah Slate been working properly?”  
For the rest of our visit, we discussed various things about the device that Link and I had been sharing, including the information about the nearly-complete Hyrule Compendium. Symon, upon overhearing our chatter about the virtual encyclopedia, excited joined in on the conversation, and we talked and talked for what seemed like hours.  
After promising Purah and Symon that we would return to visit again in the next few days, we journeyed back to Link's hut, the moon beginning to rise in the sky. We spent a while sitting atop his bed, reading--this time, about the history of the various uses of herbs to treat wounds, even though I knew that Link most likely already had a great deal of knowledge about the subject--and leaned closely against each other as we did so.  
And, as had started to become the usual as of the late, we ended up dropping the book completely and getting rather involved with each other.  
"How is your hand faring?" He asked at some point. I was perched across his chest, just like before, and we had been kissing and fidgeting around for quite a bit of time.  
"I dunno," I said curiously, looking over at the bandages. "I haven't seen it since."  
With his eyebrow raised with interest, I slowly peeled the cotton fabric from my fingers, eventually revealing a wound that was far more healed than before. The flesh had scabbed over, and while it was still slightly red, it was very nearly healed completely, aside from a scar that would probably reside there for a few days.  
"Your healing abilities rival even Mipha's," he exclaimed, impressed at the sight of it. "And that is no easy feat."  
"Well, I guess the Triforce of Wisdom is good for something," I shrugged, throwing the old bandages over the side of the bed. "That, and trapping ungodly parasites."  
He scoffed. "Miss I-Saved-My-Entire-Kingdom-From-Complete-Destruction--"  
"Not really--"  
"Yes, you did!" He chimed over me, a grin rounding his cheeks. "You're simply lovely, simply _extraordinary--"_  
I sighed, smiling despite myself. "You know, sometimes you make it _really_ exhausting to be around you."  
"Well, then go to sleep. Replenish yourself to put up with me some more tomorrow."  
"That might not be a bad idea."  
"I'll even cook you a good trout dish I know for lunch. Helps with your stamina--the old women in Lurelin swear by it."  
"Oh, there we go with the old lady jokes," I laughed. "Fine. Let me change. Are you going to come to sleep with me?"  
"Would you like me to?"  
"Not if you're going to bombard me with your wisecracks for the rest of the night--"  
"My dear, I will bombard you with wisecracks for the rest of your life," he laughed as I moved off the bed, digging in my pack for a fresh set of clothes.  
I shook my head at him. "I might have to reject your proposal in the future, then. I don't know if my elderly body will have the strength to deal with you for much longer."  
Apparently, though, after searching for a bit, I realized that I hadn't washed as many outfits as I'd thought back in Kakariko. Finally, after watching me struggle fruitlessly for a few minutes, Link said, "Why don't you just sleep in what you have on?"  
"Personally, I'm not really a big fan of sleeping in tight-collared shirts and thick riding denim."  
"Then why don't you just take it off?" he asked.  
Turning around, I raised my eyebrow at him, impressed by his forwardness. (Apparently our "discourse" earlier in the afternoon had thoroughly changed his mind.)  
"I will if _you _do," I replied amusedly.__  
He shrugged, immediately moving to pull off his tunic. "Say no more."  
In turn, I did the same, peeling off my socks and my attire from our visit outdoors. Within a minute, we were looking at each other from across the small distance between us, smiling goofily despite ourselves.  
"Come here, beautiful," he finally murmured, holding his arm out to me.  
Quietly, I climbed into bed with him again, and he immediately pulled me over to him in a kiss. Shifting my legs, I set myself to where I was straddled above his body, opposite of how we were earlier in the day.  
"What are you planning on doing up there?" he laughed in my ear.  
"I'm not sure," I replied playfully. "Perhaps a demonstration of my mastery of your horseback riding techniques."  
He stared at me with wide eyes for a solid five seconds, obviously taken aback by the response. Then, without warning, he burst out into loud laughter.  
"What?!" I asked defensively, feeling warmth rise quickly into my cheeks. "I'm just trying--"  
"I cannot _believe_ that you just said that," he absolutely chortled, letting go of his hold on my arms to wipe his eyes. He was laughing so hard that he was shaking underneath me and tearing up meanwhile.  
"You are the absolute _worst!"_ I said, beginning to giggle despite myself. "You are the _worst_ boy on this earth--"  
A few minutes later, as he slowly began to come down from his laughter, he peeked his eyes open at me, grinning widely. His face, absolutely flushed with happiness, was the most wonderful sight I'd seen since the defeat of Ganon. "You know I'm _so_ in love with you, right? Just absolutely, _positively_ so."  
"Well, you ought to be," I replied half-sourly, even though I had to concede to his point about my ridiculousness. Still, his words were better than music to my ears--I felt them buzzing around in my chest with quite a bit of vigor. "With all the things I try to do for you--"  
"I am, I swear my life on it," he smiled. "May Hylia strike me down otherwise."  
And with that, I leaned back down, catching his wide smile with my own. We kissed slowly--but happily--for a long while, until I had almost forgotten what I had said. I was promptly reminded when I sat back up, feeling him standing at attention just behind me. I knew for a fact, just by touching him for so many minutes, that I was more than ready.  
Slowly and easily, while holding his Triforce-emblazoned hand in my matching palm, I went down on him. He bit down harshly into his lip while I took a moment to get used to the sudden feeling of wholeness between us.  
We looked at each other as I prepared myself to move. But, before I could, a near-remorseful smile overtook my lips, and I began to laugh again, quite like he had shortly before.  
"What?" he asked, beginning to mirror me with his own sense of humor.  
"I just--" I started, trying to catch my breath. "I just t-thought about it, and I wanted to, uh, tell you--"  
"What?!"  
I barely restrained a snort. "G-giddy up."

___I woke up some time much later in the night, the moon hidden behind the clouds in the window above our bed. Link was gone from his spot next to me._  
Sitting up and looking around, I saw that he was sitting alone at the little table downstairs, a single candle dimly lighting the room, head buried in his hands.  
I immediately pulled his shirt, which was lying on the floor, over me, rolling out of bed and coming down. "Link? What are you doing up?"  
He was obviously surprised at the sound of my voice, and shuddered, quickly moving to wipe his face. In the candlelight, saw that he had been crying--from the looks of it, rather hard--and though he cracked a weak smile, it was hardly enough to fool me.  
"I'm fine," he sniffed, shaking his head. "Just couldn't fall asleep, is all."  
Unconvinced, I moved the second chair so that I could sit beside him. Upon closer inspection, I noticed that he had a collection of items strewn across the table: Urbosa's shield, Revali's bow, Daruk's club, Mipha's handmade armor. His own Champion tunic was thrown haphazardly to the floor, and the Master Sword lay precariously in the corner. I wondered how deeply asleep I must have been—I also wondered how deeply he was hurting.  
"Talk to me," I murmured, covering his closer hand with my one of my own, and reaching to gently comb his hair with the other. "What's going on, love?"  
I noticed that he was trying hard not to look at me, I assumed out of an attempt to control his emotions. "Zelda, please, it's too late--"  
"Link. It's never too late for things like this."  
“I-I can’t,” he began. “I can’t do this. It’s not. . . It’s not _becoming_ of a knight.”  
“It’s even _less_ becoming for me to ignore the feelings of somebody I love,” I murmured, moving my fingers to stroke his cheek. “Now, I won’t press you, my dear, but I’m not going to sit here and let you pretend like there isn’t something wrong.”  
That, apparently was all that it took. Despite all his restraint, his tears finally flooded out of his eyes and ran desperately down his face, shoulders crumpling in around him. “I let them die, Zelda."  
“What?”  
“The Champions. They all died defenseless and I couldn’t protect them. I couldn’t even die as _one_ of them—“  
“Link—“  
“I couldn’t even protect you in the end, and you had to fight alone against that monster for a century with no help at all—“  
I stood up from my chair and moved to his lap, pulling him against me in a tight embrace.  
He sobbed. “I-I can’t even imagine—and you all went through so much _pain—_ and I was just sleeping—m-my father would’ve been _ashamed_ of me—“  
“Sweetheart,” I said then, wiping my hands across the parts of face that he hadn’t hidden away from me. “You have done _so_ much—“  
“Why does everybody keep telling me that when I know I’ve only done so little?!” He objected, swinging his head around to stare angrily back at me. And though I was surprised at the intensity of his voice, and the redness of his face, what astonished me the most was the fear that radiated from his blue eyes. I had never, in all my time, seen this boy so unreasonably frightened—I’d honestly thought he was simply immune to fear.  
But I realized, then, that he was just as human as I was.  
He might’ve been an incredibly skillful and celebrated hero, warrior, traveler. . . But he was a boy with a heart that was still grieving over the loss of so many loved ones over a century ago.  
“Listen to me, dearest,” I said softly then, sweeping the hair from his face, not letting him hide his eyes from me again. “I know exactly what that is like.”  
He grimaced back at me. “That’s why I didn’t want you to see this. So you wouldn’t have to go through it again.”  
"Don't be silly," I murmured. "I'm _still_ going through it. And, that's _exactly_ why I should see this. Come on, now. Will you lay down with me?"  
"I need a bath--"  
"Take one in the morning. I'll even wash your hair for you." I rose to my feet, gently pulling his hand.  
Reluctantly, he followed me back upstairs. It was still chilly from the winter air, and I decided to keep his shirt on for the night.  
He crawled onto his side of the bed first, and somberly looked up at me as I climbed right beside him. And though I knew neither of us were too incredibly clean after the day's activities, he still smelled lovely--like himself. Earth and sunlight. Summer winds and cinnamon.  
When I hit my pillow, he adjusted himself so that I could snuggle next to his chest like was starting to become common for us; but I stopped him, shaking my head, turning on my side and opening my arms towards him. "Tonight, I protect you, my dear."  
After staring at me surprisedly for a long moment, he scooted over. His head settled in the crevice between my neck and my chest, and I wrapped his arms around his shoulders, my own face buried happily in his messy hair.  
"I love you, you know," he murmured to me then, the low tones of his voice tickling the skin on my neck. "More than anyone."  
"You ought to," I laughed, trying to cheer him up with a bit of humor. "I'm a joy!"  
I saw him roll his eyes, but the smile upturning his lips was undeniable. "That, you are."  
"I'm only kidding, my dear. I love you, too."  
He turned his head up slightly to look at me after a few moments. "Zelda."  
"Hm?"  
"What makes it hurt less?"  
"The only thing that can," I answered, combing my fingers through his hair. "Time."  
"How much?"  
"As much as it takes. But I will be here, with you, for every moment of it, okay?"  
He sighed, but not without pulling my hand down with his own, wrapping his fingers between mine. "Okay."  
"And don't you go isolating yourself from me whenever you're upset any more, either. I know you're used to it--as am I--but I want to be there for you."  
"Yes, Your Highness," he replied half-jokingly. Still, he kissed the back of my palm, and I knew he meant it.  
Smiling, I answered with another kiss on the top of his head. "Good. Now get some sleep, sweetheart."  
"You too, my love." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Hit me up on tumblr [here!](http://takidaka.tumblr.com/)  
> If you _really_ love this fic and would like to buy me a coffee, please do so [here.](http://ko-fi.com/A6833FJM) :)


	9. 'Do and Don't*

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> . . . in which Link gets a haircut, and the two have a small fight.

"Of all the things I miss most from the castle," I started, following him out to his little pond a few weeks later, "it's my bathtub.”  
"Never had one," Link said offhandedly.  
"What do you mean, you've never had a bathtub?”  
"I mean exactly that: I've never had a bathtub.” He looked at me blankly. "I've always bathed in ponds and streams like most other citizens."  
I stared at him with the utmost confusion for what seemed like actual minutes.  
"What?" He asked. "It's clean water, and more comfortable. Less to have to tidy in the house. Besides, you seem to like the way I smell--"  
"Well, of course I do," I replied, whacking him lightly against his chest. "You're you. You could probably smell like the backside of a water buffalo and I'd still fall in love with it."  
"Well, I am a lovable kind of guy," he chortled, rolling his eyes.  
Shaking my head, I said, "Well, strip down and get in. I'll go get the soap and shampoo. Where do you keep it?"  
"In the stuff with the horses," he said, waving his hand in their general direction.  
I gave him another deadpanned look. "With the horses?"  
"Yeah? We commoners use something called Mane and Tail. It's good stuff."  
"'We commoners,'" I mimicked him, sticking my tongue out as I turned to walk back into the house. "Head of the damn Hyrulean Royal Guard and he considers himself a _commoner--"_  
"I can hear you muttering, Princess,"  
I turned and made a face at him. _"Good."_  
After a bit more grumbling and searching for the shampoo, I had walked back outside, carrying the hair product along with a towel and a regular bar of Castile soap.  
Let's say that while I was glad for the lily pads, I also hated the lily pads.  
He was sitting facing away from me, all but his torso and head submerged under the crystal clear water. The flowers and leaves floating upon the water's surface concealed whatever hid underneath.  
Still, when I walked out and saw his bare arms and the muscles running up his back and his easy posture against the side of the pond, I had to stop myself for a moment just to consider if I'd be able to maintain my dignity during all of this. We'd had sex nearly every day for the past few weeks, and yet, I couldn't figure out a way to feel like I was getting enough of him.  
"Zelda, are you okay?" He asked, peeking his eye over his shoulder to look at me.  
Immediately snapping to, I said, "I'm fine, I'm fine. I thought I had left something inside, but I had it right here in my hand." I had answered almost too quickly. Forcing myself to take a deep, silent breath, I walked over to him.  
While I set down everything and arranged it, he dunked his head into the water, drenching it thoroughly. It indeed had gotten quite long; though he had it tied behind his head almost every moment of the day, it trailed down into the midsection of his back. I'd taken a fancy to braiding it fairly often--perhaps that's why he was suddenly asking to cut it off.  
"You definitely still want me to give it the old wash and trim, right?" I asked again, just to confirm.  
"Please."  
"Yes, sir." Finally taking a seat behind him, I poured a generous handful into my palm--I knew already how thick his hair was--and started working my way through his locks. It took me almost five minutes to get all the way down to the ends of his hair and up again to his scalp. He also seemed to rather enjoy the head massage, so I may or may not have prolonged it just a bit to please him, and took my time to make sure that I had thoroughly worked the shampoo into all of his strands.  
He rinsed it out himself, then, sticking his entire head back in the water and shaking it somewhat violently to get all of the suds out of his hair. I laughed at the sight of him—it reminded me of when I’d watch the trainers wash their dogs in the stream outside the castle, and they’d be happily playing in the cool water. My father’s dog always loved bath days the most of all the pooches.  
Thinking about my father and his hound started to make me a bit sad. When Link finally came back out of the water, he smiled brightly at me, and almost immediately noticed the slight change in my mood. (He’d gotten very accurate about that recently.) “Zelda? What’s the matter?”  
“Oh, it’s not anything to worry about. Just thinking about my father and his dog.”  
“I remember Gaepora! He was a smart little guy, that one!” Link said cheerfully. “On days when you and I didn’t leave the castle, His Highness would sometimes ask me to take him on a walk. He helped me find some old treasure out beyond the grounds, once.” I had begun to comb out his damp hair, and at this he looked up at me. “What happened to him?”  
“When I came back to the castle, after laying you in the Shrine, I found him dead beside my father,” I said quietly. “He died protecting him.”  
“He was a good boy,” Link said sullenly. “A loyal, loving beast, that one.”  
Nodding, I had him turn back around to face away from me, feeling a sudden, discomforting irony about Link's statement. I felt the immediate need to change topics before I got too upset.“How short are you wanting it, love?”  
“Not too short, but not down to the middle of my back,” he said. “Maybe shoulder length, so I can keep it tied back?”  
“Well, why don’t we just go a bit shorter so you don’t have to always tie it back?” I asked, laughing.  
“Because I like my little bun. It holds my chopsticks.”  
“That’s gross. But okay.” I reached for the short blade that he’d brought out and collected a small amount of his hair. “Ready?"  
"Whenever you are."  
"Okay." And with a slight pull of the blade, a lock of his golden hair fell to the ground before me. 

After I’d finished messing with his hair, I had gone back inside. He finished washing himself while I changed into a nicer outfit than what I’d had on—which was nothing less than one of Link’s raggedly old shirts and a pair of pajama pants—and prepared to head into town to grab groceries for dinner.  
“Where are we going?” Link asked upon seeing me when he walked inside the house, still toweling off his hair. He himself was shirtless, only a casual pair of trousers clothing him.  
“I’m just going to run and grab some groceries from the East Wind Market,” I said, looking at the Sheikah Slate. “I’ve got a dish I want to try cooking for you."  
“Here, let me put on a shirt and my gear—“  
“I’ll just be right back, love,” I said, looking at him. “You don’t need to come.”  
“You’re funny,” he said sarcastically. But, when I didn’t reply, he looked up at me after pulling the towel from his hair. “You’re serious, aren’t you?”  
A bit bewildered, I said, “Link, it’s right across the bridge. It’ll only take me ten minutes at the most.”  
“Yes, but it’s still dangerous to go alone—“  
“—in an unguarded area,” I said, beginning to argue. “This is a farmer’s village.”  
“But the danger is still possible.”  
Sighing, I said, “I’ll be fine. You can’t babysit me for the rest of my life, you know.”  
He looked rather put-off at that. “I’m not babysitting you, and I never have. My job is to protect you. And I’m just saying that it’s unwise to go anywhere right now without protection—“  
“I have a knife and my shielding powers—“  
“That’s not _good_ enough.”  
“Are you saying that I won’t ever be able handle myself on my own?" I asked acrimoniously. "Am I not allowed to take a shit outside your visual range, either?”  
He rolled his eyes. “Zelda, I’m saying that there are thousands of Ganon’s agents still left in Hyrule, and only one Princess, and I’d rather that I’m there to make sure nothing happens—”  
I was beginning to grow unreasonably frustrated. “Link, I’m only walking across one bridge and into one store—a store in which we both know the two owners, and you can even watch me walk down the road—“  
He sighed and turned to look at me, obviously irritated with my objections. “Zelda. You aren’t going _anywhere_ without me, all right? That’s _final.”_  
Both my eyebrows shot straight up, and I stared at him, absolutely stunned at his assertion. “Excuse me?”  
Shrugging incredulously, he looked straight back at me and loudly said, _“Was I not clear?”_  
At that point, I was nothing short of irate. I’d never expected that Link, as protective as he was, would ever be as belittling as he was at that moment.  
“Princess of Hyrule or not, I am a grown woman,” I started then, enunciating my words and struggling to restrain my temper. “If I felt unsafe in any way, I would agree.” As I spoke, I quickly thumbed through the Sheikah Slate to its Warp mode, staring him down meanwhile. “That being said: if I wanted to spend the rest of my life being guarded like some frail little flower, I would have stayed in the castle, never to leave my room, and would have let Ganon lay _ruin_ to this kingdom.”  
I commanded the Sheikah State to transport me to Kakariko Village, and began feeling the awkward lightness of floating away. Link started to move towards me, expression furious, but I was already gone.  
“But I am not,” I said finally, seeing the look of surprise turn his features when he realized I was leaving, _“a frail little flower.”_  
And with that, my body floated away. The last thing I saw was Link reaching towards me, the horror of realization clear across his face.

“I just cannot believe how _insensitive_ he was,” I said heatedly, mixing a few heaping spoonfuls of sugar into another glass of tea. “He already knows how much I hate being treated like some overly-proper girl who would cry at the sight of dirt on her shoes. It was just, well. . . Downright _insulting.”_  
Impa looked back at me with concern. I’d shown up to her home just a little under twenty minutes before, surprising both her and all the residents—especially when they saw that Link wasn’t at my side.  
“I’ve never known him to be like that, either,” she said pensively. “I know you’re both rather stubborn at times, but usually he’s fairly reasonable.”  
“I know!” I agreed. “It was—I just— _ugh._ It was like I was sixteen years old again, stuck in the castle, being chastised by my father. It was. . . _Humiliating."_ After I finished stirring my tea, I set the spoon back on the wooden tray, sipping the warm beverage sparsely. “I mean, I completely understand why he’s so protective—it’s not like we didn’t just end a war and all—but, I mean, I defended myself in a castle festering with those creatures for a hundred years.”  
“Such is true,” Impa acknowledged.  
“And he’s also been teaching me how to fight, for that matter. I’m nowhere near as skilled a warrior as he is, but, you know,” I rambled, finally setting my mug down. There was no point in trying to drink when I was venting so much. “I’m not _weak.”_  
The old woman looked at me for a long moment, studying my face. After a bit more time, I exasperatedly asked her, “What are you thinking?”  
“Hmm.” Her hand unconsciously came up to hold her chin. “I’m just trying to figure out why. . . _Oh.”_  
“What?”  
One of her eyebrows rose questioningly. “In the past month or so since your relationship began to. . . well, _develop_. . . How much has it developed?”  
Inevitably, as I suspected, it came down to admitting this before I would have liked to. Feeling the heat rush to my face, I chose that careful moment to begin sipping my tea quite quietly.  
“I see,” Impa said, a small smile turning up her cheeks. “How often, my dear?”  
I continued to drink my tea.  
“You’ve been keeping up with your pennyroyal consumption, yes?”  
Nodding, my eyes fell to the floor.  
“Well, that’s good, at least,” she laughed. “Ah, to be young again. I remember those times. . . Nonetheless, I think that may be part of it, Zelda.”  
“What? The sex?”  
“I was thinking more along the lines of the _intimacy,”_ she corrected me, laughing a bit more loudly. “Link’s a rather private person, you know, behind his friendly countenance. He didn’t even speak to hardly anybody before the war, remember?”  
“That’s true,” I said, starting to realize my error.  
“Uh-huh,” Impa agreed. “And since he’s decided to trust you with his everything, perhaps his fear of losing you has gotten a bit more severe. You’re the most love that boy has known his entire life.”  
I stared at her for a few moments as I began to work out all of her implications. Then, it all hit me at once.  
“I scared him to death and walked out on him, didn’t I?” I asked softly, realizing just what I’d done.  
Impa shrugged. “I suppose so, yes.”  
“Oh, Goddess,” I said, tears welling up in my eyes. “I’m just _horrible—“_  
“Zelda, you are nowhere near horrible,” the old woman said, looking earnestly at me. “You just have quite a temper. It was probably a good thing that you didn’t stick around and say some things to him that you couldn’t have taken back, anyway.”  
Shrugging, I wiped at my face. “I guess that’s true. Like that time I told off that servant who kept talking—“  
“Well, even I know that she was annoying,” Impa laughed. “I remember her. But anyway. What are you going to do, my dear?”  
I thought about this for a bit, licking a bit of sugar off my finger. “I suppose I’ll go get some groceries and head home to apologize.”  
“You’re still going to get groceries?” Impa deadpanned.  
“Might as well,” I replied, shrugging. “Already stormed off with no clues about my location. I figure I should at least finish the job.”

I walked into his home later that evening, having spent a couple more hours buying groceries and picking produce in Kakariko. While I expected to find Link making himself busy--as he usually did when he was anxious, I’d learned—I instead found him sitting quietly in his usual chair at the table, not a single object at hand, a worried expression on his face like I'd never seen before in all of my knowing him.  
I set my old satchel and the bags of vegetables on the countertop in the kitchen, pulling my hair from its knot on the top of my head. I was on the verge of filthy; after talking to Impa, I’d spent most of the day harvesting carrots and pumpkins with the farmers. But Link still watched me, not taking his eyes off of my face for a second, even when I wasn't looking anywhere near his.  
After sorting myself out a bit, I dropped down onto my spot opposite him at the table. We sat there in an awkward silence for a few long moments before I began to speak.  
"How was your day?" I asked as casually as I could.  
His gaze lifted to meet mine. "Zelda."  
"Yes?"  
"I'm sorry." I noticed tears immediately starting to well up in his eyes. "I'm so sorry. I should've never yelled."  
I was, least to say, shocked. Any ounce of the calm coolness I was trying to maintain went out of the window in place of my concern. "Link, hold on a second--"  
"I feel so terrible. I know you are capable of handling yourself. Just if something had _happened--"_  
"Link, it's okay--"  
_"Zelda--"_  
_"Listen,"_ I said, prompting him to take a breath. "It's okay. I was just upset about how much you sounded like my father—“  
"Zelda, I love you."  
Even more shocked now. I could feel the color rising to my cheeks. "Wha-what are you--"  
Link full on started to cry at this point, shamelessly rambling through his tears. "I didn't want anything to happen to you, but I’m so upset that I drove you away, and I was so _horrible—“_  
"Link," I interjected, moving to sit on top of him and pulling him against me, holding his head against my chest. "I am right _here,_ love. Calm down a bit. I'm okay."  
He was still crying. I'd started to well up at that point myself—the guilt I felt from the afternoon was making a horrible ruckus in my stomach. But after a few minutes, Link calmed down enough to collect himself. He raised his head back up and met my gaze. "Some hero I am, huh, crying when I'm upset?" He asked, cracking a weak, self-despondent smile.  
I smiled back, brushing his bangs out of his eyes. "Your emotions are exactly what make you so strong, my dear. You're a manifestation of them. There's no shame in letting me see once in a while."  
"If you say so."  
I nodded. "I'm serious. I want you to not have to put on a front for me. I don't want to always have to put on a front for you."  
He looked at me for a long moment. "Okay, but beyond that. I have something for you."  
I watched him as he stood up and went to look in the small storage area behind his staircase. There was a bit of noise of rummaging around and looking for something until he eventually found it and returned to me.  
Link came back holding a small variety of objects in his pockets and across his body. First, he handed me a necklace made entirely of gold save for the large cyan stone entwined in the metal strands. Then, he reached into his back pocket and pulled out a long, delicate knife crafted in steel that had been hand-forged by him--I could tell--and a blade of spectral Goddess Plume, a stone I’d only seen in pictures on the Sheikah Slate and diagrams drawn in old books. And finally, he pulled his large leather quiver from off his shoulder, chock-full of new arrows, and handed me a shiny new Royal Bow to follow. It was golden and tight at the pull, but as soon as I touched it, I felt a sort of belonging that I supposed came only from my lineage.  
"Link," I started in awe. "What is all this?"  
"Yours. Take it when you go exploring," he said, nodding at it. "The bow and quiver are yours--I know you prefer archery anyway--and the knife is for utility and close range. Its blade will never dull. And finally, the necklace is a communication device that allows you to call me from afar. A monk gave them to me after I completed some shrine in the northeast. I have a matching one that I'll wear for you."  
I was happily taken aback. It was so much, and so thoughtful, that I could hardly believe I’d been so angry just a few minutes before.  
After curiously inspecting all of the items, I looked up at him. "Thank you, love. This means so much to me."  
Link gave me an easy smile and sat back down in his chair. "You are more than welcome. I'd give you a sword but I was saving that for Hylia's Day," he laughed. "Plus I don't have one at the moment that would quite suit you."  
I grinned in response, but then resumed my more serious expression. "That's all well and good, but I still need to apologize. It was horrible of me to throw a tantrum earlier and to just leave without a word or a single weapon. You were right to be upset and worried—I’m sorry that I did that."  
"It's okay," he said gently. "Let's just consider the matter resolved."  
We sat in silence for a few long moments softly watching each other. Eventually Link took one of my wrists in his hand and pressed a kiss into my palm.  
I shuddered. He noticed and drew back, an eyebrow lifted.  
"Goddess," I breathed, shaking my head. "The things you do to me."  
Link pulled further away. "I'm sorry--"  
"Don't be," I said, quickly closing the space between us with a kiss. "For this. For that. Don't ever be."  
After a few slow minutes of kissing, I leaned my weight against him until he was pressed flat against the back of his chair, and slipped one of my hands under the hem of his bottoms. He had started to smile again.  
“I miss your long hair,” I murmured, running my free hand through the back of it.  
“I don’t,” he laughed. “It was a pain to deal with.”  
Pouting, I responded, “Not for me.”  
“Mm.” His hands questioningly pulled at the hem of my shirt, and his already broad grin got even bigger when I let him pull off my top.  
"You're beautiful," he said, pressing his mouth against my neck and biting down. His hands started skirting across my skin, eventually settling on my waist. "Wonderful."  
"I know," I said simply. “And so are you.”  
At this point I'd sat back down on top of his lap, and had begun to slowly roll my hips against his. He made a low noise deep in his chest.  
I moved to kiss him again. I pressed all my feelings behind it; the frustration from earlier in the day, the afternoon's anxiety, the release of the tension in the evening. All the love I felt for the boy underneath me and the all-consuming hunger I had whenever he wasn't near.  
"Zelda," Link managed when he pulled away for air. His face was pink. “We can’t solve every argument with sex—“  
"Don't be stupid," I said, leaning down to bite his shoulder like he had done to me moments before. “Of _course_ we can.”  
I pulled and sucked at the skin until he started to squirm, whining at the pain. I could already feel him hard against me.  
"That's how it feels to love you," he said eventually. "So much starts to hurt.”  
"Me too, sweetheart,” I said. I realized I was starting to tear up; it was too much, so much. I wanted him _so much._ "Me too.”  
Link's fingers slid down my back, one hand unknotting my chemise, the other throwing it over our heads. I had stopped grinding my hips against his when I bit his shoulder--it was already blooming into bruising shades of violet--and he took the initiative to pick me up and carry me upstairs. (I couldn’t deny that I’d started to quite like being carried.)  
When he set me down on the bed, I immediately brought him down on top of me, the two of us finally stripping each other bare. Eventually, he escaped my kiss and instead pressed his lips to my sternum, traveling between my breasts, against my stomach. Then he went down between my legs, like I’d taught him a few weeks before, causing me to squirm and curl my toes for several minutes until I cursed and cried out and jutted my hips up towards the ceiling. When I had come back down, I brought his face back up to me, still catching my breath.  
"What do you need, love?" He whispered. His voice was so soft. So gentle and lovingly soft.  
"You," I said, moving on top of him, pulling him up to me for another kiss. It was bitter and still sweet, and somehow everything and not enough at the same time.  
Link seemed satisfied by it. But the look on his face when I came down on him--pure surprise, ecstasy, and confusion, all at once--was the look I had unknowingly been waiting my entire life to see flash across his face. It was simultaneously adorable and hilarious; and every time I did it, he looked at me like he couldn’t believe it was happening.  
"Zelda--I need--" he stammered finally, falling back against his pillows.  
"Whatever you need."  
His eyes somehow opened even wider than before. "Anything?"  
I smiled and kissed him again, lacing my fingers between his as I began to move my hips. _"Everything."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Link has a bit of intimacy anxiety, if you haven't noticed. But luckily, Zelda is there to help him work through it. ;)
> 
> Woo! Anyway. Sorry about the late update, y'all!!! I started a new job this week and it's been a bit of a mess. Still, here's a little something-something to keep your appetites fed. :)
> 
> On a different note, many of y'all have asked me if I have a set update schedule for this fic. So, I'm going to go ahead tell you guys the truth: my schedule is crazy, and it fluctuates so often that I really _can't_ give you a schedule that is set in stone. However, I will say this: from here on out, I will do my very best to make sure that I post at least two chapters a week (for now), if not more. This is saying that, hopefully, I will post one chapter during the first half of the week, and a second chapter in the last half. Keep in mind that this may not always happen, though. :/
> 
> Other than that. . . I think that I'm now at the point that I can do something else that's a little exciting!!! Since we are moving into other areas of the story, I am now accepting prompts for filler chapters and such! So, if you are just dying to see these two endure a particular scenario, or even just have a very brief idea of something you'd like to see, please don't hesitate to comment below or private message me with your ideas! :)
> 
> Now, onwards. . . To chapter 10!!
> 
> Hit me up on tumblr [here!](http://takidaka.tumblr.com/)  
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	10. Nymphaeum*

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> . . . in which there are many flowers.

"Link?"  
I groggily sat up, already knowing that my hair was a mess, the entire mass of his old quilt entangled between my legs. (I hoped I hadn't stolen them from him the entire night.)  
After a few moments of peering around, my eyes taking their sweet time adjusting to the early morning's sunlight, I noticed that he must've already gotten up and started his chores around the house. So, about ten minutes later, with one of his old shirts and some work pants scrappily dressing my bodice, I meandered outside into the crisp morning air, looking around for him.  
Despite my presumptions, he wasn't in the pond; he wasn't over with the horses, either, and nobody answered when I knocked on the outhouse door. Confused, and a little concerned, I started to search around the perimeter of his home, looking for traces as to where he might have gone.  
With another inspection of his wares, I noticed that his gardening utensils--an old pitchfork, the shears that were usually left to rust in a bucket, the old shovel he kept in the stable, and the like--were all missing. By the time I'd finished my survey of the interior and exterior of the property, I had grown rather worried. Since the horses looked as if they hadn't been fed that morning, I made myself busy hauling out some hay and apples for the two of them, trying to figure out where Link could've been meanwhile--that is, until I heard a light tenor voice singing a little ways off.  
_“As I was walking one morning in May,_  
I saw a sweet couple together at play.  
O the one was a fair maid and her beauty shone clear—  
And the other was a soldier and a brave grenadier.”  
It was, undeniably, Link. I dropped the brush I had been using on the horses' coats, and started focusing intensely on the light song I was hearing. Finally realizing the sound was coming from a higher point of ground, I ended up having to even scale the small cliff behind the house to get closer. Still, unaware of my presence, he continued to trill as I followed the sound.  
_“But they kissed so sweet and comforting as they pressed to each other,_  
They went armin’ along the road like sister and brother;  
They went armin’ along the road util they came to a spring,  
Then they both sat down together just to hear the nightingale sing. . .”  
“Link?” I called. After finally making it to the top of the small cliffside, I found myself standing among a densely-planted little forest. The trees were incredibly tall, and a mild, golden light shone through the treetops, painting the scene like something out of a storybook. His whistled tune continued as I meandered my way across the grounds, careful to step over the long vines and mushrooms that were growing contentedly around the bases of the old trees. Finally, though, I came to a clearing that was about the size of a small house’s grounds, and that was covered with plants of all kinds.  
Many were my height or taller, though several were of smaller stature. Rainbows of blossoms covered some and succulent leaves grew from others, a few sprouting like trees, even more stringy and climbing the air like weeds. Vines ran up and down the wound-be bare earth with tangled fervor, and a sweet smell wafted from some fruit trees planted a little to the right of me.  
I heard the same gentle, familiar voice humming somewhere close by, and a quiet snipping along with it.  
"Link?" I asked again, stepping cautiously forward through the rows of plants. The singing stopped and I heard a rustling from a back row, followed by Link's sandy hair barely peeking over the foliage. Finally, his eyes met mine from the other side of a large, blooming rosebush.  
I giggled at the sight of him as I came around the large bush, being careful of the thorns. He'd taken off his shirt and was covered in dirt, had a handful of burlap bags tucked into his back pocket, and held a small pair of shears in one hand, a bucket full of leaves in the other. "Good morning, Sleeping Beauty! I figured I'd come wake you a little later in the morning, but you beat me to it."  
I stared at him, wide-eyed, for several moments.  
He rolled his eyes at me and smiled. "I look filthy. I know.”  
"What in the world are you doing?" I asked, starting to bubble with laughter.  
He set his bucket and shears down on the ground, shrugging and wiping his forehead. "Gardening."  
"Gardening?"  
"Yep."  
"Why in the world are you gardening?"  
By that point, he was laughing right alongside me. "Because I have a garden."  
“Oh, for Hylia's sake,” I retorted, bopping him on the shoulder. “Are you really going to make me specifically ask _why_ you have a garden?" I asked, gesturing to the plants.  
"Fine, fine, Your Majesty. Excuse my poor attempt at amusing you. It was part of the property when I bought the house,” he answered, still looking pleased with his sarcastic comment. He rubbed his neck and shifted his gaze towards his plants. “So I use it as an occasional break from everything. I really just bring back interesting plants I find across the land, and come and do maintenance on it every few months.”  
Despite the fact that he mustn't have had the garden put together for more than a few months, it seemed to flourish marvelously at his touch. My mind instantly wondered if it had anything to do with his Triforce of Courage, which was associated with the deity Farore, who gave life to Hyrule. Before I could stop myself, I marveled aloud, “Of all the things—a garden! I can't believe it!"  
“Indeed. I do like plants.”  
“I had no idea, beyond that little cactus in your windowsill!”  
He nodded, smiling pleasantly. “Mmhm. That cactus was actually gift from Rhondson, a Gerudo I helped relocate to Tarrey Town. And my father used to keep a garden outside of his knighthood--I helped him maintain it as I was growing up."  
“My Goddess.” Fully aware that I was gaping at all the blossoms and blooms that I saw around me, I still couldn’t bring myself to do anything except dazedly stare at everything. “This must have taken so much work.“  
“Eh. This area was mostly cleared by the time I found it. And it’s not like it’s hard to grow in this area, what with the temperate weather and all.” Link pondered over this for a minute, picking up his bucket and walking more towards the other side of the area. He gestured for me to walk beside him and I did, taking the looped arm that he offered. “Follow me. I’ll show you around.”  
I hadn’t even _begun_ to see all of the flora he’d grown. There were wildberry bushes from the Tabantha region—including a rarer subspecies that produced golden berries that tasted like honey—and a whole miniature orchard that he’d planted with apples and bananas, and even durians that were larger than any I'd ever seen. Across from that grew the roses, hibiscus from the Faron jungles, tall stalks of safflina that looked as if they’d never been cut. . . Towering above even those, however, were sunflowers that waved in the gentle wind, creating large spots of shadow as they swayed back and forth in the sunlight.  
Eventually, at some point, we came to the very center of the garden. While Link was animatedly telling me about a mutation of armoranth that he’d found where the blossoms were bright yellow, I noticed a small, secluded area that was covered with gravel, back behind a row of tall gardenia trees. When I angled my head to look at it, I noticed a group of five larger stones in front of a single wooden chair, all engraved and decorated with care.  
I took a few quiet steps back as he kept talking. Upon getting a closer look, I saw that they were headstones, each one dedicated to a Champion; an opal placed above the name of Mipha, a molten-red ruby for Daruk. A lighting-yellow topaz illuminated the top of Urbosa’s stone, and sapphire was pressed into the mount for Revali’s, despite all the negativity he had given Link decades before. But still—shining brighter that all of them, in the center of the area, and right at the feet of the old chair, was a stone embedded with a shimmering slice of diamond, surrounded by a small bouquet of an unmistakable flower: Silent Princess.  
I realized that he must have carved them, moved them, and placed them all by himself. In that moment, seeing his simple gesture towards his lost comrades, I truly sensed how alone he must have felt—and I realized that he'd felt this way a long, long time.  
“Link,” I murmured, interrupting his continuous drawl about some other minor species that he’d planted next to his armoranth.  
“What is it? Am I talking too much?” He asked self-consciously. Upon noticing that I wasn’t standing beside him anymore, he turned around, and saw me leaning over his little monument.  
“Oh, Goddess,” he immediately said, his cheeks pinking at the realization of his discovery. “I didn’t—I wouldn't—“  
I delicately bent down and touched the face of the diamond-studded stone in the center of the Silent Princess, skimming over the surface to clear a bit of dirt away that had piled on there over time. And when I finally pushed most of it away, I saw three words lying underneath: _Zelda Lanayru Hyrule._  
“Sweetheart,” I murmured, finally crouching to sit in front of the carving. “What is this?”  
He was obviously embarrassed. When he took a seat beside me, I saw that his face had reddened significantly more since I had called his attention just moments before. “I had just woken up, and I honestly didn’t believe that, well. . . That you were somehow still alive, after all that time. So I wanted to make you one, just in case.”  
“Why didn’t you show me before now?”  
"I didn't feel like it was something I really wanted to share," he murmured hesitantly. "I didn't want people to know.”  
"I'm sorry," I apologized then, looking at him, immediately worried that I was intruding too far into his personal space. “Do you want me to go back to the house?”  
"No!" He blurted out, exasperated. “I-I’m actually glad you're here. I was thinking about showing you a few days ago, but I didn't know how to go about it.” Nervously trying to lighten the conversation, he mocked, “I mean, how would it have sounded for me to say, _‘Hey, Z, wanna see this super morbid gravestone I carved for you when I thought you might’ve been dead?’_ Totally romantic.”  
My lips turned up in a half-smile, and I reached over to take the empty hand hanging at his side. “Oh, don’t be like that. It’s beautiful, Link."  
"Beautifully depressing, really."  
"Maybe. But still beautiful."  
He smiled and squeezed my hand, and we sat there beside one another for several minutes, surrounded by flowers and stones and the names of our dear friends. And it somehow, in a weird way, felt like a little more weight had been taken off of my chest. I at least hoped the same for him.  
Eventually, though, Link turned and looked over at me. "Do you want to help me finish?"  
"Yes!" I said excitedly. He helped pull me up and I brushed some dust from my pants. "What all are you doing?"  
"Well, it's pruning time for a lot of them, but there's also supposed to be a frost coming in tonight, so I need to bag all the less-hardy plants before they freeze." He looked at me. "What time is it?"  
"Probably somewhere around ten."  
"Oh, shit." A wad of burlap bags was thrown into my hands, along with a smile. "We've got to hurry. I'll finish pruning if you'll start bagging the smaller stuff around here. All of these have already been trimmed, and I've put mulch under the plants I've worked on so far."  
"Okay. What about the giant ones towards the back?"  
"They're Tabantha natives, and they're pretty good in the weather. They should be fine without bagging."  
“Yes, sir,” I chimed, moving to the start of the first row. He went back to disappear behind a row of bushes, but I could still hear him rustling nearby. As I was pulling a clear bag over a plant, I asked, "So how often do you do this?"  
"Well, I try to prune once a month, though that doesn’t always happen. Every now and then I trim the herbs to take with me on journeys or to sell.“  
“I see,” I replied, curious to know more. “What's your favorite plant?"  
"That's so broad!" he laughed. “There are so many.”  
I smiled. "Okay, well, what's your favorite flower?"  
Link was silent for a few moments, and I noticed he'd stopped snipping. Then he replied, "Freesias."  
"What are those?"  
"They're the yellow ones you see over there by the peonies,” he said. I turned and found the blooming golden blossoms behind me, flourishing vividly with color. "I think they're lovely."  
I moved over to them, touching the petals delicately. "They are. I like how cheerful they look."  
"Me too." He threw a handful of snippings into his bucket. "What do you like?"  
"Besides Silent Princess, of course. . . Roses. I love roses. I don't even care what color," I said immediately, grinning to myself. "When I was younger, my father used to send the handmaidens to fetch bouquets for my mother. They’d always bring home a flower crown for me when they came back from the market, and my father and I would pretend that I was ascending to the throne,” I answered fondly. “I never knew who made them, but I loved them. And I always seemed to get my hands on the prettiest ones."  
"Ah," Link said thoughtfully. He stood up then and picked up his bucket, moving to the gate and dumping the clippings out into a half-full burlap sack. I finished my first row of bags and stood up to dust off my hands.  
"I like this," I smiled. "I like plants."  
Link watched me, a sparkle in his eyes, and smiled. “I’m glad. I do, too.”  
We spent the next few hours continuing to work, me bagging behind Link's snipping, conversing meanwhile. I was surprised that he didn't grow tired of my questions; I asked him everything I could about plants, and he seemed to have at least some sort of an answer for all of it. It was all very interesting, and I was delighted to be know that he had such an extensive knowledge of herbology. All things considered, he seemed more willing to chat than ever before, though it wasn't like he was very hard to crack open to begin with.  
"What's the grossest thing you've ever seen?” I asked at some point, throwing a piece of a rotten fruit into his compost bucket.  
He thought for a moment. “Mm. Not counting Ganon, I found a very moldy pumpkin once. It had been left out in the hot summer and the rain near the barracks long ago. It had all sorts of fuzz and maggots inside of it."  
“Oh, that’s disgusting,“ I answered, scrunching my nose as I pulled a bag precariously over a holly bush. "What did you do with it?"  
"I made it into pumpkin juice."  
I stopped, looking at him. _"Why?”_  
A dangerous smile crossed his face. “There was an older knight who always tried to pick on me because I was so young when I was appointed. Name was Groose, I believe.”  
I turned and stared at him. "No way. Tell me you did _not_ give Ser Groose, the Red Knight of Pompadour, food poisoning.”  
He started laughing. "It was the most entertaining thing, let me tell you. He almost vomited down the Commander’s suit one day during sparring.”  
"That is the most beautiful and _awful_ thing I've ever heard," I said incredulously, still staring at him in disbelief. He shrugged and continued snipping plants, smiling to himself.  
Eventually the sun had started setting in the sky. The air was cooler, and Link was dumping his bucket of trimmings out once again. When he came back, he pulled off his gloves and touched my earthy hand with his own. “There's only a few rows left, and I think they should be fine. Want to call it a day and go eat something?”  
After a moment, I nodded. "Yeah. I’m starving.“  
“Me too. Why don't you go back down to the house and start up the cooking pot? I'll finish cleaning up here and come meet you after.”  
I smiled, noticing the gentle way he still held my hand. "Okay.”  
The sun had almost completely set by the time that I made it back down to the house, rinsed off my skin, and changed into tidier clothes. After starting the campfire under the tree, I went down to the market and purchased some vegetables and sirloin, and set them to stew together with some broth.  
Link definitely took awhile to put all of his supplies away. I assumed it was because we had ended up doing so much work and he was trying to clean off his utensils, not to mention having to carry them all down from the cliffside.  
Without realizing it, though, I drifted off, waking to Link's footsteps behind me. The stew was almost completely cooked my then, and I opened my eyes to see him grinning goofily down at me, dozens of bright stars beginning to twinkle in the darkening sky.  
“Good evening, Sleeping Beauty,” he said, laughing as I sat up. “Tired from all the yard work?”  
“Yes,” I admitted, giggling as I stretched my arms up above me.  
I was letting out a big yawn when he brought his hand out from behind his back. When I cracked open my eyes, I found that he was holding a flower crown of beautiful, colorful roses. Reds were mixed with huge yellow blossoms, whites danced alongside pinks, corals glowing brightly in the sunlight. A long vine wrapped them all together, and I was speechless at the sight of it.  
"Your father always specially ordered your family’s flowers from mine.” Link smiled, showing me the crown.  
I looking at him with amazement _"You _made all of them?"__  
"You bet."  
"I thought it was some old knight’s garden—“  
“My father loved his roses,” Link laughed.  
“I-it's beautiful." I stared at it for a long moment and felt a small pool of tears collect at the front of my eyes. “I can’t believe it, Link—these were my very favorite things growing up—“  
"I know. You father was very adamant about having them specially ordered every time we sold you lot a shipment. That's one of the ways I got into the Knight Academy, you know."  
My eyes widened. “You're saying you made these for--"  
"You." A gentle blush tinged his sun-stained cheeks. "They were always for you."  
I stared at him for a long moment in a sort of happy disbelief. "Will you put it on for me?"  
“I shall do nothing of the sort, Your Highness, without your acceptance of the Hyrulean Coronation Oath,” he replied sassily, turning his head with a bit of fake haughtiness. “That being said; Princess, Zelda Lanayru Hyrule, will you solemnly promise and swear to govern the people of this Kingdom of Hyurle, and the dominions thereto belonging, according to the statutes in Council agreed on, and the laws and customs of the same?"  
It was the traditional Coronation Oath of Hyrule. Surprised and delighted that he remembered it so closely, I replied, “I solemnly swear to do so.”  
“Will you do to your power consider mercy and justice in all of your fair judgments?”  
“I will,” I said, laughing despite myself, unable to take his overly-formal tone seriously.  
Grinning, he continued. “And will you, to the utmost of your ability, maintain the highest of morals set forth by the grace of Hylia, her Creators, as well as the wise ones who have come before you?”  
“All this I promise to do,” I replied, placing my right hand over my heart in ritual. “The things which I have here before promised, I will perform and keep, so help me Goddess.”  
And with that, Link placed the crown carefully on my head, securing it by tucking a few strands of my ratty hair around the vines to secure the headpiece. I watched him as he did the task above me with quiet focus, tenderness, and a gentle grace.  
At that moment, I understood that I loved this boy deeply, no matter what I may have ever feared about it.  
"There you go," Link finally said, happily inspecting his work. "Now you're our proud Queen of the Garden!”  
I laughed and wiped at my face. "Yes, I am."  
He smiled brightly at me, and gestured at the pot. “Ready to eat, love?”  
"Yeah."  
Link sat down beside me as I dished the meaty stew between us, already beginning to chatter on about the journey we were soon to make to Tarrey Town. As we ate multiple portions between us, we conversed, laughing and enjoying the simple notion of spending time together.  
"Hey, Link," I said at one point, watching the way his eyelashes brushed his cheek each time he blinked.  
He set his bowl down and it rolled a few feet away in the yard, leaning back on his elbows close to my side. "Hm?"  
I leaned over and kissed him, lingering for several seconds. His skin was comfortably warm despite the chilly, almost stinging autumn air, and he smelled like soil--but in a good way. And he was gentle, and gracious, and he never feigned away, though he stared at me with surprised eyes so big I though they'd swallowed the moon.  
“I love you, you know.”  
He scoffed, though the embarrassment in his face was undeniable. (He was rather bad at hiding it, to begin with.) “I know.”  
“Do you?” I asked, smiling as I leaned over to kiss him again. One of his hands came up to hold my face, and I moved from his lips, to his cheeks, to his forehead, and back down to his mouth, repeating the same phrase after each one.  
He finally pushed me away, laughing, after I blew a raspberry against his neck, and said, “All right, I know, Zelda! I know!” The pink color had conquered his cheeks by then, and he looked like he was almost in a daze as he giggled. “I love you, too, so quit tickling me!” He was still laughing to himself when I had taken his hand and pulled him into his little pond with me. As we took our clothes off, our forms were dimly illuminated by the fireside across the yard, and he was still smiling and laughing. I wasn't sure what exactly it was that he found so funny, but he was happier than I'd seen him be in a long time, and he kept giggling joyfully without any specific reason.  
"I can't get this shirt off with my crown on," I said, smiling at him.  
Still laughing, he came up behind me and ripped his old shirt down the back, so that I could pull my arms back through without any resistance. "There you are, little nymph."  
I couldn't help but start to laugh along with him. "Does that make you a satyr?"  
"Are you calling me an ugly goat man?"  
"I don't know. Are you calling _yourself_ an ugly goat man?"  
And while we played and washed and touched each other in the water, I knew, as I gazed up at the starry sky above us, that we had grown.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HELLO, YES! I'M BACK AND I'M SO SORRY FOR THE LATE UPDATE!!!
> 
> It has been a ROUGH week, y'all. I'm so sorry. On top of everything that's been going on, I kind of hit a bit of a writer's block with this one. Hopefully this wasn't too cheesy for you. (I do love gardening, myself, though.) 
> 
> On the regards of a few things:
> 
> 1) The song that Link is singing in the beginning is derived from an old Irish/English folksong usually known as either "The Soldier and the Lady" or "One Morning in May." There are several versions, as it is a folksong, after all--and it's actually got a bit of interesting history to it, if you're interested in reading more about its transcriptions and variations! Though I'm also a music major, so this kind of stuff is always interesting to me. ;)  
> Regardless, you can find a bit of research on this song here: https://mainlynorfolk.info/folk/songs/onemorninginmay.html
> 
> 2) The flowers mentioned in this piece usually have meanings behind them, because I am that kind of person. Mwahaha. If you're interested in looking into these a bit more, I invite you to do a bit of research yourself! :)
> 
> 3) Link and Zelda's mock coronation speech is an altered version of the English Coronation Oath in the 18th Century, and since a lot of Hyrulean Royal ritual and tradition seems to be largely based on English culture, I thought it most appropriate. (I honestly could probably write my senior thesis on the references of world history in the Legend of Zelda, lol. I love this kind of stuff!!!!)
> 
> 4) Satyrs and nymphs are creatures often found in Greek and Roman mythology! Satyrs were famous for being half-goat men that were obsessed with beautiful nymphs, who were deities of minor natural landforms. Here's a little bit on that if you're interested! https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Satyrs_and_nymphs
> 
> 5) THANK YOU FOR READING THIS FAR!!! I can't believe it's already been ten chapters! Writing this fic has been the product of a lot of time spent over the past few years, and has helped me get through quite a few rough times recently. I am so very grateful that so many of y'all are enjoying this, and for the support I've received with each new chapter. As I promised a while ago, here is a link to the playlist I built to listen to while I write, if you'd like to listen. https://open.spotify.com/user/1262125675/playlist/7MIw7BUxL4oy2m0EEYmGIK.
> 
> And now. . . I hope to see you all again soon!!! :)
> 
> Hit me up on tumblr [here!](http://takidaka.tumblr.com/)


	11. Respite*

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> . . . in which we learn, once again, that I am a slut for pillow talk. Hmm. . . ;)

I was sad to leave the little house in Hateno.  
The two months that we spent residing inside of it had been, to say the least, a wonderful experience. It had come to feel much closer to a true home than anything else I’d ever felt in my entire lifetime, and I found myself wishing that we could continue to live domestically forever, exploring the countryside in the afternoons and lounging around together in the evenings.  
But it's not as if the adventure was over by any means whatsoever. We spent a fantastic week horse racing and cataloging as we traveled north, until we hit the Lanayru Range, where we were forced to trudge on foot through the cold towards Akkala.  
"Remind me why we aren't going to Zora's Domain first?" I asked him one afternoon, three days into our venture.  
I could see the foggy clouds that his breath made when he answered. "For one thing, it's cold as a Blizzrobe’s teat outside--because of the seasons changing, not just because we're so high up. Yes, I know about elevation," he said, rolling his eyes knowingly at me. (I was always ready to correct him.) "But I, personally, do not take well to constantly being cold and wet at the same time. For another matter, I know there are several Lynels out towards the west--and no, we're not going to go look at them, so don't ask--and I'd love to avoid as many of those as humanly possible. And lastly, we have a prior engagement in the north."  
That last bit of information was new to me. "Oh, really? More surprises from Hyrule's Most Surprising Hylian?"  
"Of course. I've got to maintain my title somehow."  
I squeezed his hand, which was thick and soft through his heavy gloves. Admittedly, I had been skeptical about wearing the overly-fluffy outfit he'd provided me earlier--a full set of Rito gear, insulated with richly-colored feathers and sheep's wool--but now that we were out and about in the subzero weather, seeing a lot of our fresh food freeze in mere seconds, I silently reprimanded myself to stop second-guessing him. It was so natural for me to do to everybody at this point that I found it incredibly hard not to do so. (Yet another flaw of mine.)  
He let go of my hand briefly to test the density of an approaching snowdrift, drawing his sword and smoothly stabbing the middle of the white fluff. When the blade stopped, only the hilt was visible, and he grimaced.  
"Well, sweetheart," he said, looking at me. "We've still got a ways to go."  
“Meaning?”  
“We’re gonna have to figure out a different route.”  
“Hm,” I said absentmindedly, looking around the desolated area. There were a few tall pine trees not too far from us, and a pack of snow wolves off in the distance; but other than that, the snow inevitably made everything look level. I was starting to worry about how easy it would be to sink far down into a pile of the frozen fluff, only to suffocate and freeze to death shortly after.  
But suddenly, as my worry began to creep upon me, I felt an icy-cold smack to the side of my face.  
Swinging around and holding my cheek, I saw that Link had snuck behind the same bank, and giggled as he crouched behind it, clutching an armful of snowballs meanwhile. “Got ya!”  
“You little shit!” I yelled, smiling despite myself as I began crunching snow into a tight spheres.  
As I began readying my stance, he darted off from behind his post, zigzagging out of my way.  
“You know, that’s not a very nice name!” he called back at me, suddenly swiveling around to pelt another ball square in the middle of my chest. “Some might even call that sort of language abusive!”  
“Abusive?!” I cried, giggling as I hurled a snowball energetically at his face. Finally, when he slowed a bit, I tackled him into the ground, the two of us falling onto a soft cushion of snow. As he laughed, he dropped his remaining supply of ammunition across his chest, and nudged me down for a kiss. I haughtily tore away from his grasp, refusing to bring my face anywhere close to his.  
“Abusive to my heart!” he exclaimed then. “The refusal of a kiss! The denial of my affections! How it _pains_ me--"  
“Then don’t throw frozen balls of ice in my face, you toad!”  
And so we bickered at one another aimlessly for several more moments, until he finally wrestled me off of him, and I smashed a handful of snow into his nose. Sputtering and laughing, he took off running from me again, stopping just far enough ahead to turn around and make some sort of sarcastic remark.  
But instead of words coming from his mouth, he suddenly stiffened and began to cough, a deep stream of blood drooling down his chin and into the pure snow.  
We gaped at each other for several moments. By the time I had dropped my snowballs and drawn my bow, fired, and struck the newly-appearing Yiga swordsman between the eyes, Link had fallen face-first down into the snow, the long handle of a Windcleaver still embedded in his stomach.  
"Oh, my Goddess," I uttered, sprinting over to him as quickly as I could. Without even realizing it, I'd pulled my glove off of my hand and it had started to glow, the icy wind stinging against my skin. As I babbled, already crying, I placed pressure on the backside of his wound. Link was eerily still, the flaming red splatter of his blood screamingly stark against the flawless snow.  
Without thinking, I took a deep breath, pulled the sword out of his body, and immediately covered the wound with both hands. And in a flash of light, the color returned to his face with full vigor, and he began sputtering as he pulled himself out of the cold moisture.  
"Are you all right?" I asked then, wiping my face. I hardly noticed the sticky blood that I haphazardly smeared across both cheeks.  
Turning to look at me, he winced, and then gasped at the sight of my face. "What the--"  
"Are you okay?" I repeated weakly. Feeling overwhelmingly lightheaded, I reached to touch his newly-healed skin with my fingers. His body seemed hot to the touch.  
"Zelda," Link said very firmly then, his arms flying out to pull me upright. I hadn't even realized that I was falling backwards. "What in Hylia's name did you do?"  
"Are you--"  
_"What did you do?"_  
My fingers trailing over his skin, I felt myself somehow slipping away. But before the world went black, I looked up at the overcast sky, where snow was falling onto my cheeks, and let out a sigh of relief. 

"Zelda."  
I felt a gentle warmth touch my hand, like someone had taken hold of it.   
"Zelda, wake up."  
Struggling to open my eyes, I peeked through them to see a blurry room in dim lighting. I was so unaccustomed to any brightness at all that I flinched and squinted almost immediately.  
A few moments after I let my eyes focus, I glanced around, noticing that I was laying on a bed in a rather tidy room. I turned my head and saw Link sleepily sitting at my side in a chair, head resting on the edge of my mattress, hand wrapped listlessly over my open palm.   
Without a word I closed my fingers around his. His head shot up, eyes wide, searching to see that I was conscious. "Zelda?"  
I had shut my eyes again, though I nodded at him. "Huh?"  
"Oh, thank goodness," he breathed, squeezing my hand so hard that it nearly hurt. Then he stood up out of his chair and started planting kisses all over my face.   
I laughed as I pushed him away. "What in the world? What happened?"  
"After you passed out. you never woke up. You've been sleeping for four days straight."  
"Oh, really?" I asked, peering at him. "You'd think that after being stuck in a castle for a century, I'd be well-rested."  
Link gave me a gentle laugh, his face still flushed with concern nonetheless. "Very funny. How are you feeling?"  
"Okay, I guess. I have a headache."  
Lifting one corner of his mouth in a concerned pout, he stood over me, gently pressing his hand against my forehead. While he was distracted, I pulled him down and into a kiss.   
The door swung open behind us then, followed by a loud sigh and quick, lively footsteps. "Link, I thought we agreed that the whole 'waking up the princess with a kiss' thing wasn't going to work. You need some sleep, young man."  
Link pulled away, arms flying, arguing defensively. "It wasn't _me,_ it was--"  
I stuck my hand into the air and waved, happy to see the short, grey-headed Sheikah elder who was plodding into the room. "Hey, Dr. Robbie!"  
There was a long moment of dead silence, followed by, "Good Goddess. You mean it _worked?"_  
I laughed as the old scientist scurried over to me, arm stretched out to shake my hand. "I guess so, huh, Link?"  
"Sure," he mumbled, a sly grin on his face. "Anyway, what's going on, Doc?"  
"Oh, I was just coming to check on you two. This has been a pleasant surprise."  
"Mmhm. Say, Dr. Robbie, may I trouble you for a glass of water?" I suggested, slowly stretching my arms. "And for you to give Link and I a few moments alone?"  
"Zelda--" Link stuttered, looking sheepishly away from the old man. "You just woke up--"  
I pulled the end of his blue tunic over to me, tugging him down to my face. "What? I just want to talk to you--"  
"Yes, yes, all right. I'll return with water and some food in about twenty minutes," Dr. Robbie smirked, turning and walking towards the door. "I'll warn the others, too."  
"Thank you," I called. Then, after he closed the door, I looked over to see Link's pink face staring back at me.   
"What?" I asked, a smile creeping onto my mouth. After a flustered non-response from him, I reached up, hovering under his lips. "You don't want to kiss me?"  
He gave me a look. "In front of Dr. Robbie? No. It's like kissing you in front of Impa, which is also a no."  
"Well, I'd like to remind you that, in fact, I have recently woken up from a few days of sleep. Additionally, I would like to state that for all of my unconsciousness, I missed you and your kisses. It seems I've grown accustomed to them," I grinned. "Besides, I can just about assume at this point that you probabky saved my life again. I owe it to you."  
Link's expression was mixed, to say the least--and not in a good way. "Zelda, you saved mine, too. _Twice, might I add._ And you don't owe me anything."  
"Well," I replied, realizing that he seemed far from in a mood to argue, "at least lay down with me. You look tired."  
"I am tired," he said, smiling weakly. "I've been worried about you."  
"You don't have to be anymore. Come on. Take a nap. Like usual," I said, scooting over on my bed.   
He took a few seconds to make the decision, but then leaned over and fell onto the bed beside me. After pulling me against him, his head resting in the crevice of my shoulder, he finally wrapped his arms around my waist and relaxed.   
"You need a bath."  
"So do you."  
He broke into a laugh. "I know."   
"You should take one after this." Looking down at him, I noticed a bandage covering the skin between his right elbow and the palm beneath it, and another one peeking out at the ankle of his opposing foot. "What happened there? Did you get hurt?"  
"Nothing more than a mere flesh wound."  
I peered at him. "Now is not the time for understatements. I'm serious."  
"Yes, I did." He exhaled, running his fingers across my arm. "Robbie has been keeping an eye on it, though."  
"What happened?"  
"A fairly bad scrape on my arm. An arrow to the leg. Nothing too bad."  
"You'd think having a limb cut clean off was child's play," I scoffed, shaking my head. "Can you walk?"  
"I've been doing daily therapy."  
"Is that going well?"  
"Yeah."  
"Good."  
I realized then that I was aimlessly combing my fingers down his arms. He shivered.  
Then, looking at me, he asked, "I don't suppose you have anything new to tell me?"  
I reached over to give him a quick peck on the cheek. "As a matter of fact, I do. I had an interesting dream. Want to hear it?"  
"Of course."  
As I pulled my quilt up and over him, I cleared my throat. "It came to me recently--probably in that three-day sleep. I think it may be a prophecy, or a memory, or at least a very pleasant proposition."  
"Oh. That sounds nice," Link murmured. The smile on his lips could be heard.   
And so I began. "You and I were flying in the sky, up way above absolutely everything, and clouds buried the world beneath us. We soared around for what seemed like ages, flying right next to each other, until we grew tired and wanted to land. So we looked for a spot to dive onto, but for a long while, we still saw no earth, no ground. That is, until a beam of green light appeared in the distance that split the clouds. We agreed to fly out to it and see what it was, what it lead to."  
"Did we jump off?" he asked, voice quiet.   
"Mmhm," I answered. "We jumped down from the sky and landed on what looked like a huge copy of a Goddess Statue, just by this sealed forest temple. A few people were there--like my father, and Impa--and we talked for a little while. Then they disappeared, and it was just you and me.  
"So we went walking. Eventually we found a set of tools hidden around the forest; a hammer on the inside of a cave, a saw stuck halfway through a giant tree stalk, nails in traps that Moblins would set up. And we collected them, gathering them in our hands and pockets, and kept exploring. At some point we came to a patch in the woods that was moderately clear of plant life. We spread out in the grass, watched the sky for shapes, and dozed off in the easy afternoon light."  
I looked over at Link then, seeing that his eyes were closed. He was still playing with my hair, though, so I knew he was awake. I continued.   
"After that, we woke up and started to build a house. Days and nights passed by, and we worked on, tirelessly, borne ceaselessly into the future--"  
"Okay, Ms. Fitzgerald," Link laughed.   
"--And, before we knew it, we had made our own little cottage in the Faron Woods, under the shade of a great and beautiful tree. And excuse me for being allegorical."  
I had finished that section of the story, hesitant to go any further. After a moment he noticed the silence and asked, "What else?"  
"A little while after, I saw us floating down from the sky again. This time, though, I was in a white dress--not my Coming of Age dress, mind you--and you were in a dark green suit. Dozens of people followed us; friends, neighbors, residents of all the towns and villages that we visited. And right there, in the little woods, we were married."  
"Oh, really?" He asked. I heard happiness in his tone, and was relieved at the sound of it.  
"Yep. It was beautiful. Fireflies fluttered all around, the trees' leaves on the brink of changing color. And you looked very, very handsome, and I felt more beautiful than I ever had in my entire life."  
"Because of your dress?"  
"No, because I was marrying you, and you were hot."  
Link started laughing again. "Said the pot to the kettle."  
"Uh-huh. Sure. Anyway, after, people started building homes for themselves, a bit aways from where we lived. We built a castle--bigger, more expansive, manned by the descendants of those who used to work there. I titled you as the General of the Royal Guard. And, after that, you and I were crowned the King and Queen of Hyrule."  
"With flower crowns?"  
"Naturally."  
I continued on for a few more minutes, giving as many minute details as I could remember. At some point, I realized that I had dawdled off into my daydreams and away from the actual dream itself. But they seemed to meld so perfectly together that I was content to keep revealing both at the same time. After a bit, I paused to check on him. This time, however, he had finally dozed off, his head having lolled off of my shoulder to where he was breathing slowly against my chest.  
Bringing his hand up to my face, I kissed the top of his palm, gently wrapping my fingers around his so as not to disturb him. And I watched him sleep as I felt his warmth, glad that I had woken up to a better dream.   
I spent the next few minutes playing with Link's hair. He still looked a bit odd without his long ponytail. I couldn't decide whether I liked his face better with or without the length, but it really didn't matter all that much; it was just more opportunity to look at his face, to study its proportions.  
Eventually the door creaked open, light pouring in from the hallway. Dr. Robbie's balding head shined as he peered through the doorway.  
"Hello, Doctor," I whispered, waving him over. He quietly shuffled over to the bedside, taking the seat that Link had used before him, and set a tray of food down onto the table next to us.  
"Sleepy, eh?" He asked, smiling peacefully down at him. "You wouldn't believe how upset he was when you weren't waking up. I don't think he's slept at all these past few nights."  
I stared at him. "Really?"  
He nodded. "Do you remember any of what happened?"  
"I remember that we were traveling though Lanayru, and got a bit distracted with a snowball fight. A Yiga man appeared out of nowhere and stabbed him. Then, I remember running towards him. . . And, that's all, I think."  
Dr. Robbie looked at me with surprise. "That's all?"  
"Mmhm. Why? What else happened?"  
"You saved his life, Your Majesty. If you hadn't used your Triforce of Wisdom to heal him, he would've bled to death in seconds. But in the process of healing such a severe wound, you did quite a number on yourself."  
After a few moments of blinking incredulously, I asked, "But where are we now? What did he do after that?"  
"He carried you by hand the rest of the journey north," the doctor replied. That's where he got all those scrapes and bruises. Showed up a day later here, in Tinker Town, and called me down to assist him with you. I had to sedate him at first--he was just about in hysterics. When he woke up later, he threatened to demolish Cherry if I ever did that again, so he's been awake ever since."  
"Goddess Hylia," I murmured, looking down at him in astonishment. "Goodness. Well, I'm glad I got him to sleep. You don't look so hot yourself," I murmured to the Sheikah, giving him a half-smile as I sat up against the wall, trying to process all that I'd just learned.  
He sighed and shook his head. "Old age will do that to you, Your Majesty. Besides, I wanted to make sure he was all right. He had plenty of stories to share. I don't think he got through half of them, to be honest."  
"Oh, I'd imagine not. We'll have stories to tell for ages."  
Nodding, the doctor tiredly straightened his back against the chair, stretching his arms. "I see." For several moments he looked at me, as if he was unsure of what to say.   
"What is it?"  
"I can't believe that you two got handed such a destiny. Impa always said you'd both do big things, but nobody had knew quite how big."  
"I didn't, either. Nor did this one," I mumbled, looking back down at Link, gently touching his cheek. "But he did very well."  
"I'd expect nothing less from him."  
"Me too." I took my hand from his face then, adjusting my blanket to be more snug around his shoulders.   
"Your Majesty?"  
"Yes?" I turned to see the old doctor looking at me intently, eyes earnest.   
"If I may ask," he began timidly, fidgeting with the buttons on his faded lab coat. "You do plan to procreate, as you are the head of the royal bloodline?"  
I nodded. "Certainly. It is my duty as heiress."  
Robbie sucked in a deep breath. "With whom do you plan to carry out this task?"  
I gingerly patted Link's leg through the blanket. "You and I both already know the answer to that."  
"A wise choice," he agreed. "However, I try never to assume. Too many uncontrolled variables. But, I am curious: does Your Highness wish to marry him because he's the Hero? Or because he's Link?"  
"What do you mean?"  
The old Sheikah, rubbing his exhausted face between his hands, clarified. "Do you want Link because of some 'destiny' you two are supposed to fulfill? Or because you love him?"  
I took a few moments to gather my words, resting my back against the bedroom wall. Then I met the doctor's gaze, glad that even after all this time, he still cared enough about me to treat me like a granddaughter. "Well, at this point, it's be pointless to try and hide our relationship from you. I love him. I've loved him since before Ganon resurfaced, before any of this happened, and I love him even more now, if that's possible." I broke eye contact to glance at Link's sleeping face, inattentive and peaceful, like a child resting after a hard day's play. "And even though I supposed that it is 'destiny', I think Hylia planned this all along. I'm not saying that she designed the whole scheme of time for the sake of us being together; but I think she designed it with our feelings in mind, knowing that our souls would somehow be tied to each other until the end of time."  
"I see," he said, eyebrows raised with approval. "I understand. Have you two talked about it at all?"  
"Not really. We've been far more. . . Well, personal. Since the end of the war, I mean," I said, feeling my cheeks warming.   
Dr. Robbie finally broke out into a laugh. "Oh ho! I see!" He shook his head, smiling as he moved out of his chair and back onto the floor. "Well, don't let me get in the way. That food will get cold if I don't stop gabbing and let you eat."  
I watched him scuttle over to the front door, open it with a bit of effort, and begin to step out. "Please take it easy, Your Highness. Eat, hydrate, and rest. And, if you can, please make sure that stubborn boy of yours does the same."  
"Thank you, Doctor," I laughed, nodding. "I will do my best."  
He smiled right back. "Perfect. I'll be back to check up on the two of you in the morning.  
"Thank you. It's nice to finally see you again, by the way."  
"Trust me, Your Highness: the pleasure is entirely mine."  
The door clicked quietly shut as he left. Looking down again, I watched Link for a few moments, content to just stay there and study all his features for ages. But my stomach did rumble, despite myself, and I reached over and grabbed the small portion of bread that was supposed to go with the soup, picking it apart with my fingers and slowly downing it between sips of water. Eventually, I was finished, and deciding to forego the soup, I inched myself down underneath the covers.  
At this movement, Link began to stir. Sleepily yawning, he made out, "What's. . . Can I help you?"  
"Go back to sleep," I murmured, laughing at his reply. In place of the pillow he was cuddling, I moved to where I held him in an embrace instead of the cushion, his arms around my waist.  
"Zelda. . . You okay?" He mumbled groggily, rubbing his eyes.   
"Yes, love. Now hush."  
And he did. He smiled and leaned his head against my shoulder, and I smiled and squeezed his hands, glad he couldn't see my blushing face. We drifted off into a sweet sleep beside one another, ready to wake up to a bright, new morning. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I owed y'all another chapter. So here you go. :)  
> The next one might take a bit more time for me to write, as I have to put down just about everything from scratch. . . But, I've already started, and hopefully won't be taking too incredibly long with it!  
> In the meantime. . . Enjoy!!!
> 
> P.S. For all of you classic literature fans who might have caught the reference. . . Zelda's "allegorical" quote was a reference to The Great Gatsby (my own favorite novel) written by F. Scott Fitzgerald. His wife was the famous and beautiful Zelda Fitzgerald, after whom Shigeru Miyamoto named our beloved Princess Zelda. ;)
> 
> Hit me up on tumblr [here!](http://takidaka.tumblr.com/)  
> If you _really_ love this fic and would like to buy me a coffee, please do so [here.](http://ko-fi.com/A6833FJM) :)


	12. Equinox (Part 1)*

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> . . . in which Zelda gets some rest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HELLO! I HAVE RETURNED!!! :)
> 
> I'm so sorry about the long delay, you guys! I ended up quitting one job, starting another, crossing the country for a week to visit my family, playing through like six different scenarios on Dream Daddy. . . You get the gist of it.  
> Regardless, I've been absent for almost two weeks, and that means that I owe y'all two chapters. So, here are TWO chapters, hot and ready for your consumption! (In all honestly, it's really one very long chapter that I split into halves. Lol.) ;)  
> That being said, check out the rest of my chapter notes for this little bit at the end of the NEXT chapter!  
> I hope y'all enjoy!!!
> 
> Hit me up on tumblr [here!](http://takidaka.tumblr.com/)  
> If you _really_ love this fic and would like to buy me a coffee, please do so [here.](http://ko-fi.com/A6833FJM) :)

Dr. Robbie left a few days after I awoke, after we’d had a bit of time to catch up and discuss the nature of the late war. When he bade us farewell, however, he made a stern point to say that we were _not_ to come visit him in the north until we were more fully recovered, and ordered plenty of bedrest and easy activity.  
That being said, Link and I spent the better part of the following week and a half in our little appointed quarters, which the kind Zora priest named Kapson graciously provided. Because of our low energy levels, and the amount of pain Link was in when he walked, my primary introduction to Tarry Town consisted of a single short visit to to the small tailor shop that was owned by his good newlywed friends Hudson and Rhondson.  
They were rather adorable, I discovered. Despite how different they both were—from their ethnicities, to their professions, and even just their personalities—they lived and worked together with almost seamless ease. It was honestly quite refreshing to see a duo that coexisted so well.  
My meeting with them, however, was the only time I would go outside for another week. As it turned out, healing Link had dealt quite a bit more damage to my body that I would have thought—not that it wasn’t reparable—but I found myself so exhausted even just by the end of our stroll that Link supported me by the shoulders the rest of the way back.  
“You know,” he said, leading us back into our room and helping me onto the edge of the bed. His face was, as was so sweetly common of him, riddled with concern. “I wish you wouldn’t have done this to yourself.”  
“Are you saying you’d rather me let you die?” I asked with a meager amount of humor, raising an eyebrow at him.  
“If it’s taking this much of an effect on you, yes.”  
“Well, that’s a little selfish of you,” I answered sarcastically, sneaking a quick kiss onto his cheek. “Asking a princess to live without her favorite pet.”  
Link rolled his eyes, smiling a bit despite himself. “Whatever you say, love. Anyway. You lay down for a bit, and I’ll go talk to Kapson about dinner.”  
And with that, he turned and hobbled out of the bedroom, using his wooden stick to support himself instead of his leg. I felt a strong pang of guilt as I watched him; though I knew it was essentially unavoidable, and he’d die before he’d have it any other way, I hated that he was always in danger and getting hurt because of me. And even though I stubbornly had to concede that I was in no shape to do so, I still had a strong desire to even just try and fix the wound on his leg with my powers.  
Nevertheless. I fell asleep long before he came back to the room, and he woke me up to have me eat dinner.  
“Here, love,” he said gently, stirring me awake by bouncing his weight animatedly on the bed.  
I jolted upright with an ungraceful noise somewhere between a snort and a cough, and he laughed as he arranged two ceramic plates on the wooden tray we constantly shared. A warm, simple meal of fish and sautéed greens was laid out before me, along with some yeast rolls that made my mouth water almost instantly.  
“Thanks,” I murmured appreciatively, rubbing my eyes as I sat forward beside him. We ate in a comfortable silence for the majority of the meal, and I managed to down most of it—a feat that had been hard for me to do since the incident in the first place—and even accepted the extra roll that Link offered me from his own plate.  
After a while of watching me pick lovingly at the soft bread, he said, “You look positively exhausted, my dear.”  
“Oh, I can assure you that I am,” I replied, a slow, playful smile creeping onto my face. “I feel like I’ve been awake for a hundred years.”  
He laughed and shook his head at that. “Hylia help you. Come on. Let’s get washed up and go to sleep.”  
“But I’m too tired.”  
“I’ll help you. Don’t worry.”  
Then, he led my groggy self to the washroom. After I stripped out of my old sundress—the garment that required the least amount of effort to put on earlier that morning—I sunk blissfully into the steaming water of the bath. He joined me only a few moments later, immediately setting to work on dampening my hair and washing it.  
As he massaged my scalp—something that we had come to reciprocate on each other quite often—I dazedly remembered long ago when I always helped the castle trainers wash my father’s hound. He always loved baths. . . He was so relaxed during them that sometimes, especially as a puppy, he’d simply doze off amid our scrubbing and rinsing. It was adorable. I always called him Dozer because of it.  
Ironically, I couldn’t help falling asleep myself, thanks to the comfortable movement of Link’s hands through my hair combined with the pleasant memory. It was only when he started giggling, and I cracked my eyes open to find him scrubbing my legs with a sponge, that I finally came to.  
“I can wash myself—“ I started to protest drowsily, ambling forward to take his sponge.  
He only moved it out of my reach and shook his head. “It’s fine, sweetheart. I’m almost done, anyway.”  
I didn’t even have the energy to argue. Sighing, I reluctantly gave him each limb as he washed my body along with his own. Finally, after we rinsed off, he helped me out of the tub, wrapped me in the pastel blue robe that I bought for him in Hateno, and walked me back to the bedroom. Kapson watched us curiously as we walked through the common room.  
“Thanks for dinner, Father,” I murmured to him. “I loved the bread.”  
The old Zora laughed. “Thank you, Your Highness. May Hylia grant you both rest this evening.”  
“Thank you, Kapson. We wish you the same,” Link answered pleasantly.  
When we finally made it back, he immediately tucked me in under the covers of our bed. Before he got in next to me, though, he sat on the edge of the bed, cleaning his wound and replacing his dressings.  
As I watched him, I began to feel stupidly helpless. So helpless that I needed help to eat and walk and even just _bathe_ myself. Meanwhile, my lover had taken a fat shot to the leg, and he was sterilizing and packing his puncture wound like it was nothing.  
I began to silently cry. Hating myself, and hating my compete uselessness, I simply continued to watch him, wondering why in the world he wanted anything to do with me.  
Thankfully, I managed to wipe my face before Link turned around. When he finally shuffled beside me in the bed, he looked over and asked, “What’s wrong, Z?”  
“Nothing,” I said quietly.  
In response, and choosing not to press me further, he ran his fingers gently across the side of my cheek, and pressed his lips to my forehead. “Well, you can always talk to me if you need to. You’re never alone, sweetheart.”  
And flicking off the lantern burning beside us, the room fell dark, and he snuggled his head into the crevice between my neck and my shoulder.  
It was a simple gesture. One we did nightly. One that always warmed my heart, despite whatever I was feeling. As did his gentle reminder: _You’re never alone._  
At this, I started to think myself silly for not allowing myself to be taken care of once in awhile—it was part of my stubborn nature that resulted from having to fend for myself for so long.  
And he realized this. He knew it was something that made me standoffish when something troubled me. Yet, he still always gave me his best, even if I pushed him away every now and then because of it.  
_You’re never alone, sweetheart._  
I felt this realization all at once. I was no longer Zelda. He was no longer Link. We were Link and Zelda, two parts of the same whole that gave and took and shared everything.  
Extremely drowsy by that point, I fidgeted my way even closer to his chest, happy and warm and feeling loved. Feeling whole. And with that, I fell asleep with a wonderfully contended feeling of peace blooming in my chest. 

Even though I stayed in bed for the next week, Link was still out and about for the most part each afternoon, citing that Dr. Robbie had told him to “not let his muscles get stiff.” (I suspected, in reality, that he was simply too eager to see all of his comrades to wait any longer.)  
Despite this, he made points to share every meal with me, and collected old books from the townsfolk that he brought back so I would be entertained while I rested. It was an easy week—perhaps even easier than our stay had been in Hateno, with all of the yard work that Link ended up doing—and it went by leisurely.  
Father Kapson and I became rather acquainted with each other in the meantime. He was a wise, kind man, and his predisposition to philosophize and inquire was well-met with my own old soul. We spent much time talking about the Gospels of Hylia, the causes and effects of the Calamity War, and so forth, at such lengthy and frequent intervals that I could hardly be bored.  
Amid our discussions about the great literature and scriptures that we both loved so dearly, he asked many questions about Link and I's relationship, and how we planned to use our bond to strengthen the recovery of Hyrule. He was quick to figure out that we were much more than associates, but thankfully, strongly approved the match.  
So, it was a good week. However, there was something that had me increasingly troubled as the days progressed.  
Hudson and Link, as I already knew, were good friends, what with all of Link’s help to Hudson in constructing the town in the first place. And because of Rhondson’s relationship with Hudson, he was spending quite a bit of time with her. . . So much so that he constantly came back to the inn chattering happily about this or that, or about how she was so good at something, or about what she had done that was so extraordinary.  
“Zelda, did you know that Rhondson actually knows how to spin gold?” He asked excitedly one evening at dinner. As he carved his good-sized sirloin steak, he continued. “Like, actual golden thread. Apparently it’s a method that’s been passed down through her family for generations, and she can sew with it and everything.“  
I squinted at him, immediately skeptical. “Wasn’t that in a fairy tale or something? As in, fictional?”  
“That’s what I thought! Regardless, I said so, and she actually showed me a spool of the stuff. It’s surprisingly strong, you know.”  
And so forth. By the end of the week, the little facts had become so frequent and bothersome, I had become to grow greatly annoyed by it. I didn’t tell Link, of course, and he was so happy to be around his friends that he thankfully hadn’t noticed my soured leanings towards the Gerudo—until a few days later.  
It was the middle of the afternoon, and I had woken up only a few hours prior, as my sleep schedule was ruefully distorted due to my constant napping. I leaned down and dug around in my bag for my most comfortable corset, as I figured I should try to make myself look at least halfway decent for the conversations I might have with the Father later in the afternoon, and was soon very frustrated to realize that it was nowhere to be found.  
Disappointed, I pacified myself by sitting up against the headboard of the bed and reading nose-deep into a text about the practices of ancient alchemy—a surprisingly fascinating read for a common villager to own. I made a mental note to seek out the old woman who had loaned it to me when I was well again, as she might have more texts or knowledge on the topic.  
During one passage, however, about how alchemists would use the weather to the benefit of their elemental spells, I found myself wondering what kind of magic could have been used on a day like that particular one. So, moving to my knees and turning to check the weather, I peeked out the window above my bed, only to be absolutely shocked at what I saw.  
It was a beautiful and crisp autumn day. The deciduous trees around the village had turned various shades of gold and rustic red, and the window held a slight chill despite the afternoon sunlight. But, more noticeable was the sight of Link standing across the other side of the village with Rhondson, holding her waist as in a dance.  
The Goron brothers were playing drums, several small Koroks played variations of a fiddle, and an unfamiliar Rito sang behind them as he accompanied himself on the accordion. The two swayed back and forth, gently and rather intimately, as Link was apparently explaining something animatedly to the Gerudo tailor, his hands waving around as he spoke. She was laughing at him, shaking her head, and I couldn't tell if her face was flushed from his chatter or from the heat of the afternoon sun.  
Something in the very bottom of my stomach began to curl.  
Unable to really stand the sight of it any longer, I sunk away from the window, dizzily sitting down on the edge of our bed. My head was spinning, my heart screaming, and my thoughts were at war with each other; I knew that, rationally, Link was not the kind of person to cheat or lie or backstab. He was too good of heart, too loving.  
But still. Seeing that, as unconcerning as the scene seemed to be, I found myself feeling. . . Horrible. Furious. Downright _vindictive._ So perturbed that I actually considered drawing my bow and firing at her from across the village.  
After a moment of rationalizing my thoughts, I realized just what I was feeling.  
I was completely and utterly _jealous._  
I sat there on the bedside for several minutes, trying to meditate and rationalize my thoughts. At some point, the old Zora priest had wandered over towards our small quarters, and I saw him peek inquisitively through the open doorframe at me.  
When I noticed, I raised my eyebrows. "Why, hello there, Father Kapson."  
"Good morning, Your Majesty," he said serenely, bowing slightly in greeting. "I couldn't help but notice that you look a bit troubled."  
"Is it that obvious?"  
"I must say that expressiveness is a trait that both you and Master Link happen to share."  
Sighing, I shook my head and stood up from my seat on the bed, finally coming out of the room. "I'm just a little perturbed, is all, Father."  
"Hmm." He gestured back over at his small little kitchen table, where I realized he had prepared two fish and vegetable omelets, both still steaming on their plates. “Well, I don't mean to intrude, but if you would like to share your concerns with me, I would be more than honored to listen. I am a priest, after all.”  
Feeling a sudden pang in my chest at the old Zora's kindness, I smiled and nodded gratefully and followed him to the common room. "I would really appreciate that, Father."

"Good afternoon, sunshine," Link said cheerfully as he entered our quarters some time later. I had decided to return to lounging around in bed for a bit after venting to Kapson, reading through a book of stories that had been one of my favorites for nearly a century.  
"Hello, love," I tried to reciprocate just as happily. "What have you been up to?"  
"Oh, not much. Just did some errands I've needed to run."  
"That sounds nice. How's your leg?"  
"Better and better--I'm able to do most everything again without my cane. How are you?"  
Unable to restrain myself any further, I tossed my book onto the pile I’d made on floor and looked at him. “Can I talk to you?”  
His face turned from general pleasantness to concern immediately, and reached for the doorknob at once. When I heard a click, he turned back to me and asked, "What's going on?”  
I was quiet for a few moments as I began to gather my thoughts. Meanwhile, Link crawled up beside me on the bed, the skin of his arms sending shivers down my spine when he wrapped them around my shoulders. I both loved and hated feeling the hardness of his muscle up against my flesh.  
"I-I've been worried," I began finally, looking over at him. With his earnest eyes so close, it seemed almost silly to have ever had doubts in the first place. "I know that our. . . _circumstance_ has been in the making for a very long time, but sometimes I wonder. . ."  
I trailed off, looking down at my bare feet and beginning to feet very, very stupid. Before I could help myself, I realized that a layer of tears had collected at the front of my eyes.  
"Zelda? What are you on about?" Link asked then, sitting up and reaching over to wipe my face.  
"I-if you'd rather, well. . . Be with _someone else._ Who suits you better. And hasn't been trapped inside a castle for a hundred years. And isn’t completely helpless. And that hasn't let you die," I began crying before I could stop myself. “Twice, really. And who's funnier and prettier and suits you better--"  
"Woah, woah, _woah,"_ Link interjected, looking confused. “Where is this coming from?”  
“Just. . . I’ve. . . Just from what I’ve seen—“  
He tilted his head and studied me. “Zelda. Is this about Rhondson?"  
_“. . . Yes,"_ I admitted, looking elsewhere from his face. "I've seen the way you act around her, and I can't help but wonder—“  
"Zelda, I've been good friends with Rhondson and Hudson for ages," he explained, tucking my hair behind my ears. "Nothing else. What's more is that they're both happily married."  
"I know, I know, but you always just seem to get so excited around her--"  
"There's a reason for my constant acquaintance with her that that you'll very soon understand, my dear," he murmured. "Trust me, all right?"  
"I do trust you," I said. "With my life. I-I guess. . . I guess I just don't trust _myself_ to be enough."  
"Well, you should. You're the only woman I've ever truly loved, you know. And as you've pointed out, I've met many," he started to laugh, pressing a kiss to the back of my hand. "All right?"  
I rolled my eyes, but smiled despite myself. "All right."  
"Good." Leaning over, he pecked my cheek. “Can I tell you something?”  
“You know you always can.”  
Resting his head against my shoulder and raising his eyebrows at me knowingly, he said, “I _never,_ in all my years, ever thought that _I,_ Link Perseus—“  
“Your middle name is Perseus?” I laughed.  
“I thought you knew that.”  
“Quite the contrary, Mr. Andromeda—“  
He waved his hand at me. “You’re avoiding my point. I was going to tell you that I never once in my life would’ve ever guessed that you, Princess Zelda of Hyrule and all its derivative domains, would ever be jealous over _anyone—_ much less _me.”_  
I stared at him in disbelief. “Are you making fun of me?”  
“When have you known me to ever pass up such an opportunity?” He answered, beginning to laugh.  
Smiling despite myself, I shoved his shoulder. “Don’t let it inflate your ego too much now, dearest. That head of yours is already big enough.”  
“Which one?”  
I groaned and gave him a severe grimace. “That was far from your best.”  
“Yet, you still love it.“  
“Quite begrudgingly at times—”  
“Oh, really?” Link laughed, finally climbing on top of me and pressing me back against the bed. “Only sometimes? Is any one man truly enough for Her Highness?”  
Though I had been doing a good job of not humoring him thus far, he finally wiggled his fingers into all of my most ticklish areas, and I broke out into a cascade of giggles. “Link, I swear that I am going to maim you if you don’t quit—“  
“I’m already maimed! My leg is a hollow stub of its former self!”  
“It’s not the only hollow stub you’re bound to have at this rate—“  
At that moment, though, there was a confident rap at the bedroom door, followed by a warm alto voice. _“Sav'aaq,_ Your Highness. I've been instructed to take you away.”  
The door opened to reveal the tall, voluptuous figure of Rhondson, who looked in on us curiously. "Oh, dear. Am I interrupting something?”  
Both our faces warming a bit with embarrassment, Link quickly rolled off of me and we stared at the Gerudo woman taking up the entire height of the doorway.  
“N-no, sorry, Rhon,” Link stuttered then, coughing self-consciously. “We were just. . .”  
“Playing,” I interjected. He nodded as I added, “You know, wrestling. Like old pals.”  
“Uh-huh.” She gave us an unconvinced expression. “Anyway. Your Majesty, I’ve been given special permission to take you under my care for the next few hours.”  
Confused, I swung around and looked at the boy sitting next to me. My apprehension wasn’t appeased by the giddy smile that was slowly starting to take over his features. “Link?”  
“Trust me, Z. You said you would, remember?”  
“I mean, of course, but,” I stammered, suddenly realizing just how nervous I was to be in the company of someone so unfamiliar without him beside me, especially given how upset I had been over her just minutes before. “I-I mean, _sure—“_  
“Then let’s go, shall we?” Rhondson said then, pulling me onto my feet, her grip somehow both firm and gentle against my wrist. The Gerudo weren’t known for beating around the bush, after all. "Time is a-wasting, I’m afraid.”  
“I’ll see you in a bit, yeah?” Link said then, waving us out the doorway as the taller woman tugged me along. “And have fun, all right?”  
Both he and Father Kapson smiled at me as I was practically dragged out the door, knowing sparkles in their eyes that I couldn’t quite decipher.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Hit me up on tumblr [here!](http://www.takidaka.tumblr.com/)


	13. Equinox (Part II)*

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> . . . in which festivities ensue. ;)

I was sitting in a tall chair, in front of a large mirror, in some unfamiliar house on the other side of the village, before I got a chance to actually ask one of my many questions.  
“What on earth is going on?” I finally asked, watching her reflection dig around in a few Gerudo-style woven baskets sitting on a dark table to my side.  
She looked up at me in the mirror and smiled. “I’m afraid I’ve been strictly forbidden from giving away too many details, Your Highness, but I do believe that Link has sent you to me for a little pampering before this evening’s events.”  
“Events?”  
“Events indeed. That’s about as much information as I can offer, unfortunately.” Leaning over, her strong arms laid out several shining cosmetic tools that I hadn’t seen the likes of in literal decades. “But I’m hoping that you’ll find the next few hours bearable, Princess. Link was very thorough about telling me much of what you’ve been through in the past century—and I must say, it’s an complete honor to make your acquaintance.”  
By that point, I was already feeling rather silly once again for ever disliking her. She was quite friendly, and kind to boot—I found myself actually very excited to participate in whatever this “pampering” was going to entail.  
We chatted on for quite some time while she performed various activities on me; first, there was a lovely manicure and pedicure, where my nails were scrubbed free of dirt and filed down to a recognizable shape. She followed with a lovely massage using some sort of Gerudo oil that removed the hair from my back and legs, but still prevented chafing—it apparently did wonders for the skin under the sun of the desert. Then, my hair was trimmed free of the many split ends I’d acquired over time, curled using a set of ruby-covered hair rods, and set with pieces of jewelry so fine that I felt like I was poking around my mother's collection once again as a child.  
However, by the time all of this was said and done, it was well into the evening. The sun, as I could see through a back window of the building facing the lake, was almost completely set, and I began to grow curious once again about why exactly all this was being done.  
Rhondson still replied with another vague answer that just barely enough to satisfy me. At some point, after she'd brushed a burgundy-toned extract of a berry onto my lips, I asked, "I do hope that Link is paying you for all of your trouble, Rhondson."  
"Please--call me Rhon. The number of 'sons' around here kind of piss me off," she replied, laughing as she made some final touches to my hair. “Not to mention that I’m kind of limited on names for the baby because of the stupid vows Bolson made us add to the ceremony.”  
I gasped. “The _‘baby’?!_ Are you—“  
“You didn’t know?” Rhonson asked curiously. Coming around to face me, she pointed at her belly, which was barely rounded with a slight amount of pudge. “It’s been almost three months now.”  
I couldn’t help but laugh—my own stomach was so much softer than hers, even with her pregnancy, that I probably looked like I was pregnant with twins in comparison. Despite this, I managed to pass my humor off as extreme happiness, and congratulated her enthusiastically for the next several minutes.  
Finally, we returned to our original conversation: Link. She was going on and on about how this makeover was well earned by him. “Trust me, Your Majesty: I owe much to that little voe. This has actually been an immensely delightful way to start settling the scores with him."  
"What do you mean?" I asked curiously.  
She lowered the tall salon chair with her foot, and carefully helped me out of the seat. "You do know that he basically built this town, right? Collected all the supplies, brought all of these residents, and even cured the little girl that lives in the south quarter? He actually also helped Hudson and I get married.”  
"He _did?!"_ I asked disbelievingly. “I hear about all of these kinds of stories from everyone, yet cannot for the life of me figure out when he had any free time!”  
The Gerudo laughed, shaking her head. "He's practically a living myth, from what I've heard. Much like yourself, Your Majesty. Anyway. Our time is almost up--it's time to complete the final piece of this puzzle."  
My eyes, already wide, grew wider. "There's still _more_ to be done? What else could _possibly—“_  
"Come, Princess." She led me over to a large wardrobe that stood all the way to the ceiling--I realized it probably had to, given the length of many of her garments. But when she opened the intricately carved wooden doors, a long, billowing dress of burgundy met my eye, and I gasped.  
"As you may have noticed his absence quite often over the past week, it was largely in part due to this little commission," Rhondson smiled, admiring her work. "He's been doing much to help me piece it together, get the correct measurements, and such."  
Still completely stunned, I silently stepped closer to the dress, my hands tediously reaching out to touch it.  
It was a fitted bodice that cinched at the waist and flowed into a large ballgown skirt. A subtle red sparkle was laced into the outermost layer of tulle, and a detailed, mesmerizing embroidery of a shimmering golden lace skirted down the arms. Rubies, in small pieces, dazzled various areas of the dress, and I could hardly seem to fathom what exactly I was looking at, as it looked like something I would have only ever imagined in an old fairy tale.  
"What is. . . Why?"  
"It's entirely handmade, from the handwoven golden thread, to the embroidery stitches, to the handwoven silk from the Gerudo region," Rhondson said then, gently smoothing down a crinkle in the fabric. "Even the rubies were mined--"  
"--from the cliffsides of Goron City," I finished, remembering what Link had told me about mining during dinner a few nights earlier. So that’s where he had been. . .  
Rhondson looked at me with surprise. "Indeed, Your Highness. But please tell me that you weren't aware of the project—“  
"No, I assure you not," I replied softly, touching the edge of the lace sleeve. Despite my best efforts, especially considering all the work the Gerudo woman had done on my eyes, I could feel myself welling up as I recalled all the peculiarities of the past week. My missing corset, his constant companionship with her, all he’d learnt about her sewing skills. His absence for an entire afternoon the other day, and the faint scent of Goron spice I could gather from his charcoal-stained skin. His oddly-occurring fascination with color combinations--he'd spent a whole day in Hateno, talking complimentary shades with the dye man before we departed a few weeks ago. And finally, what had struck me as more betraying than anything else--his dancing with Rhondson earlier in the day, chattering excitedly as he fumbled in his steps, despite the quick footwork he was normally recognizable for.  
It. . . It was all for me.  
Wiping carefully at my eyes, making sure to avoid smearing my liner or mascara, I murmured, “I can’t believe him.”  
“He’s quite the charming young man, isn’t he?” Rhondson said, with all the affection of a doting older sister.  
I nodded. “He sure is.”  
And with that, Rhondson turned eagerly back to me. “Now. Let's see how this beauty fits, yes?"  
“Absolutely.”  
An hour or so later, by the time I'd been properly strapped and tied into my dressings, undergarments, and the beautiful gown, it was well past sunset. As Rhondson put the final touches on me--helping me into a pair of golden flats, and adorning my ears with a brand new set of ruby earrings--my mind raced with what exactly awaited me outside.  
Knowing Link, he probably did something absolutely extravagant. I was worried that whatever it was, I'd be too clumsy or awkward or out of sorts to fully appreciate what he'd done. I even started to worry that for all of the dress’s beauty, I would only look like a dead stick trying to wear a rose. But sure enough, after she finished the preparation, I followed Rhondson to a full-length mirror and saw my reflection.  
I looked _wonderful._  
I honestly didn't recognize myself at first. I was glad that despite the ornate jewelry, hairpieces, and dress, that my makeup and hair had been styled rather simply; my eyes were accented with a subtle hue of cocoa brown, which, against the red outfit, made the emerald green of my eyes stand out radiantly. My naturally rosy cheeks were a lovely combination with the wine-red lipstick that I sported; and, finally, amidst several intricate braids and ruby barrettes, a thin crown of delicately woven gold topped off the look.  
Speechless, all I could find to say to Rhondson was, _"Thank you."_  
She began to laugh. "You are more than welcome, Princess. I am honored that you seem to enjoy it.”  
Staring at her gratefully for a few more moments, I couldn't find any words to answer with. So, nodding, I quickly wrapped my arms around her torso in a swift embrace.  
She only laughed again and reciprocated, squeezing my shoulders gently. "Come, Your Majesty. I believe a particular knight is eagerly awaiting your appearance."  
Despite all my training, all my time spent defending myself in the castle, and all the time I'd spent in the comfortable warmth of Link's company, I found myself on the brink of panic at that moment, my heart suddenly climbing into my throat. I followed Rhondson out from her workspace and to the front door. And, with only a knowing smile, she opened the door for me, and I stepped outside.  
The town was covered with lights.  
Tiny, colorful lanterns had been strung from lines attached high between rooftops, and candles were burning all along the streets. The aroma of pumpkin and pecan hit me like a wave, and somewhere in the distance, the sweet aroma of fruit cake sung out above everything else. To my right, I heard the familiar tune of accordion folk music accompanied by a light, almost feathery tenor voice, and then its sounds go silent as I stepped further out onto the staircase.  
Citizens of the town were everywhere. Young and old were dressed in dark, velvety warm shades of clothing. Some of the younger children were playing with a puppy in a pile of leaves a little ways off. I saw a teenage couple sharing a candied apple purchased from a stout man that watched them pleasantly. But only moments after I had stepped out, almost everyone’s attention was immediately focused towards me.  
I froze, feeling trapped by the sudden attention. Finally, though, a familiar voice quietly called to me. “Zelda.”  
Looking down from the staircase upon which I stood, my gaze finally made its way down to meet Link's.  
His face was completely flushed. Both his blue eyes were wide and staring straight at me, and his mouth gaped open in disbelief. If he hadn't been holding it with both hands, I was pretty sure that he would've dropped the delicate red rose that he held.  
I realized then, silently and triumphantly, that he was looking at me in a completely different way than he had ever looked at Rhondson—and I didn't know how in the world I hadn't noticed it sooner. My heart was racing by the thought of it. Did he really think I was _that_ attractive? Why was he looking at me the same way my father used to look at my mother? Was he really looking at _me?_  
Better yet: how had anyone ever been looked at like this before and _survived?_  
He himself was dressed in the traditional festival attire of white trousers and a long tunic of the same maroon as my dress, embroidered with matching golden vines and autumn fruits. Comfortingly, he worn his usual brown leather boots, which had been polished as much as their tattered fabrics could have been--still, however much he'd apparently tried, he hadn't been able to clean his thousands of miles of adventuring off of them.  
I cautiously stepped down to where he stood in some sort of shock. Bowing deeply, he sputtered, "I, uh. . . Y-you—“  
Before he could fumble any further, I reached for his face and pulled it to mine, our lips sweetly crashing together. There was a whistle from behind us, and when I looked back, I noticed the townsfolk watching and cheering with smiles on their faces.  
Returning my gaze to Link, I was immensely gratified to realize that he hadn’t taken his eyes off of me for a single second, still looking completely entranced.  
“Thank you," I said to him, realizing that I was already on the verge of tears again. _“Thank you,_ love.”  
A wide smile took his cheeks. “You’re more than welcome, Zelda.”  
“But in all honesty,” I asked, wiping my eyes, “what is this for?”  
He blinked at me for several moments, still seeming to be struggling to come back to reality. “Well, it’s October 19th. Not counting that past century, today is your 18th birthday, isn’t it?”  
It was then my turn to be shocked. I’d spent so much time not thinking about my birthday that I hadn’t even realized that I was another year older. “It is?”  
“Yeah. This is your Coming-of-Age Celebration,” he answered then, a small smile taking up his cheeks. He gently offered me the blooming rose he was holding. “Albeit long overdue. It also just so happens that Hudson was wanting to have a fall festival for the town. . . So we made it a Harvest Festival in your honor.”  
It was helpless to try and hold back my tears. They spilled down my cheeks, my lips, my neck. As I looked at him, marveling at his kindness, he simply continued to smile, and wiped my eyes dry as tears fell.  
“I love you,” I finally said. “So much.”  
“I love you, too, sunshine. Now, come on. Kass is rounding up a few Koroks to get started with some jigs.”  
He offered his hand and I gladly took it, following him through a parted crowd towards the sound of a tuning fiddle, excited to see just where he would take me. 

By the end of the night, we were exhausted.  
As it turned out, Link actually wasn’t good at everything: he was a horrible dancer. Even though his leg was injured, and he did have a decent sense of rhythm, he was so flustered by the repetitive quickness of movements that I finally convinced him to just hold me and sway, which was thankfully met as the ensemble transitioned into slower, more melodic tunes.  
When we were too tired to dance, we meandered out of the crowd and towards the heavenly aromas of food vendors. We separated briefly as I sought out the baker of the fruit cake, and paid him quite generously for a hearty slice of the pastry. A few minutes later, I returned to find Link halfway through a massive turkey leg in front of a flowerbed, sauce all over his fair face.  
I couldn’t help but laugh as I took a seat next to him, leaning against his shoulder as I began cutting through my cake. “You sure do like meat, huh?”  
“I have been known to eat an entire roasted chicken in one serving,” he murmured at a pause between bites. I handed him a handkerchief and he messily wiped his face, grimacing at the amount of marinate that came off. “You know I like to eat.”  
“Why, yes, I do.”  
And soon enough, we had both finished, and went on our usual course of chattering to flirting to kissing in a matter of minutes. It was a drowsy, syrupy sort of kissing; the kind I loved most waking up to on leisurely mornings. . . the kind, that if it were a type of food, would be a thick, golden caramel.  
Finally, after a few passersby eyed us curiously as they walked, I parted from him and said, “We ought to go back to the inn.”  
“Mmm.” He leaned in once more and pecked my nose. “If you say so.”  
By the time we’d made it back and changed, I’d sweated off my makeup, and the warmth of my skin made the oils that Rhondson had rubbed into my skin efflorescent with a heavenly scent of a jasmine and cocoa medley. It was hard to keep Link off of me for very long at all.  
Eventually, we’d made it to our favorite place of all: the bed. He was laying on his back, myself perched somewhat off to the side of his chest, happily pressed against him like usual. I'd taken off my dress in place of my favorite white nightgown: the one that fluttered around my knees and Link had once said made me look like an angel. He himself had removed his shirt--or, rather, I had removed his shirt--and we were both comfortably snuggling underneath his old and tattered quilt, talking easily about whatever came to mind after finally managing to hang up my magnificent gown.  
"I'm not a fan of tomatoes," I said in response to his praise of marinara sauce at one point. He looked a bit offended at this. "I don't know, love," I continued, "they're just too. . . Acidic. Strong. I'm not sure."  
He snorted with dissatisfaction. "Well, that leaves more tomatoes in the world for me."  
"That's fine. You can have them." Finally sitting up, I pulled my hair back and away from my face, looking down at him. "Speaking of tomatoes. . . How will your garden fare in the weather?"  
"No idea," Link said honestly, laughing a bit at himself. "The ones I've managed in the past have done nicely, but it has been a century since then."  
"Hmm." I leaned over and gave him a kiss. "Well, I have faith in you. Besides. If all else fails, we can always plant more in the spring."  
"Indeed, love. A lost plant is nothing but a chance to plant a new one." Still smiling, he tugged at a stray strand of my hair. “I’m gonna run and grab a glass of water. Do you want some?”  
“Please.”  
I let him sit up, and he turned and swung his legs back over the side of the mattress, jumping off the bed and plodding over to the door of our small quarters. "Do you need anything else?"  
"Just you."  
His eyebrows flew up with amusement. “Well, well! When did our princess learn to be such a flirt?”  
Rolling my eyes and smiling at him, I said, “I learned from the best.”  
Laughing, the ambled out of the room, only barely using his cane to support his leg. It really had been getting better—albeit, the dancing earlier in the night probably hadn’t helped it too much.  
Still. Happy about that, and just in general, I stretched back out across the bed and waited for his return. After about ten minutes of admiring my nails and my curly hair, however, I began to grow a bit concerned.  
I curiously got up that that point, the subtle ache of my ankles returning as I walked out of the room once more. Plodding down the hallway, I began to call out Link’s name, until I heard two voices speaking from the common room.  
It only took me a moment to recognize that it was a conversation between Link and Father Kapson. Pressing my back against the wall in the hallway, I quieted myself and listened.  
“—I’m sure she’d appreciate that. She seems to really enjoy your company, Kap.”  
The old Zora laughed lightly. “The Princess is quite the charming young lady, I must say. Extremely wise, on top of it.”  
“Well, she’s bound to be,” Link answered genially. “The only daughter and heir to the world’s most renowned family of scholars.”  
“Oh, I remember. I also remember a young knight in her command that used to be rather intimidated by her intelligence.”  
_Link? Intimidated by _me? I thought. _Surely not.___  
“Well, what can you expect?” Link scoffed. “I barely knew how to tie my own shoes, much less the detailed nuances of the Guardians’ algorithms. Hell, I’m barely sure that I even know what those words even mean,” he laughed, despite himself. “Though, she’s been very sweet in teaching me about a lot of stuff over the past few months.”  
“Speaking of months—how many has it been?” Kapson asked then.  
“In terms of what?”  
“In terms since. . . _You know.”_  
“Oh.” Link was silent for a few moments. “Maybe six. . . seven months, since we first got together. Probably closer to two or three months since. . . Well. _You know.”_  
“I see,” the Zora priest said, sounding a bit pensive. “And you’re sure that it’s true?”  
Link didn’t miss a beat. “True as the blue of the sky.”  
“And you’re sure that you’re willing to commit to that lifestyle? To becoming a noble?”  
“You know I’d do anything for her.”  
The smile on Kapson’s lips could be heard. “I’m already well aware of that. I suppose it was a silly question, in that regard.” After clearing his throat, he added, “Well, then. All that seems to be left to do is to ask her.”  
“Do you. . . Do you think she’ll accept?”  
“Anything can happen, my dear boy. But, if I can say anything about the way she talks and looks and treats you. . . I think you’ll be just fine.”  
“Thanks, Father.”  
By this point, my heart was pounding in my ears. Surely I was imagining this. Surely I had fallen asleep in bed waiting on him to bring drinks, and was just having a dream.  
Bewildered, I quickly stumbled back to the room, worried that Link would discover my eavesdropping. Only a minute or so after I flopped back onto the bed, floundered underneath the covers, and had started to reason with my racing thoughts, the shirtless knight returned to the room with two glasses and an entire pitcher of water.  
“Sorry about that, Z—I got to talking with Kapson.”  
“It’s all right,” I said amiably, trying to calm my nerves as he poured us each a glass.  
We sat there on the bed for quite some time after that, chatting and rehydrating, until we eventually grew so drowsy that we laid back down for sleep. Thankfully, I’d kept myself together well enough that he didn’t suspect anything out of the ordinary.  
Link fell asleep rather quickly afterwards, his head leaned against mine, expression sweet and peaceful. I stared at him for several minutes as I worked myself into deep thought once again.  
Despite all of my initial denial, I came to the conclusion that the only actually reasonable thing he had been discussing with Kapson. . . Was marriage. And with that, a marriage _proposal._ And knowing him, it would be beautiful and sweet and thoughtful as all get out. He was probably planning another one of his wonderful surprises. . . Except now, it wouldn’t be a surprise.  
I cursed myself tenfold for eavesdropping. I knew that, as much as I could have tried, he'd realize that my surprise was fake when he asked. I couldn't do that to him. He'd be so disappointed. . .  
As I mulled more over the topic for what seemed like hours, tossing an turning as much as I could without disturbing him, I came back again and again to only one conclusion.  
This time. . . This time, it would be _my_ turn to surprise him.  
Only, I had to do it before he could surprise _me._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woo. . . There's about to be some big life changes for our sweet duo. ;)
> 
> If you're wondering about what Zelda's lovely dress looks like, [this](https://ae01.alicdn.com/kf/HTB14ikvLVXXXXXVaXXXq6xXFXXXL/Lengan-panjang-gaun-pengantin-muslim-Mewah-Arabic-renda-bola-gaun-gaun-Elinlik-2016-Bruidsjurken-Vestido-De.jpg) is what I used for reference! 
> 
> Thanks for reading! Hit me up on tumblr [here!](http://takidaka.tumblr.com/)  
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	14. Anamnesis*

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> . . . in which Zelda finds herself greatly perturbed.

Everything around me was sticky.  
The white marble of the sanctum, once the color of glassy pearls, was stained with grotesque purplish-red muck about the same color as decaying blood. My white dress, somehow still bright, was the only thing even remotely free of the slime.  
I’d learned to live with the sight of this, begrudgingly along with the tactile stimulation that came from this muck as it tried to suck me in by my feet, day after day. But what I could never get over was the sound; the sound as if a giant, mucus-covered slug was slowly making its way closer to me, its phlegm-soaked pores popping and slurping as it breathed. The sound I imagined that a derided, cannibalistic serial killer would make as he slurped down a disgusting bowl of mashed up conglomeration of eyeballs and toes and whatever leftover body parts still remained from his last victim. . . All ground up with a mortar and pestle, marinated in the foulest-smelling vinegar, and sloshing around as it was stirred precariously with a spoon. Or, the smell. . . Words couldn’t even begin to describe it.  
And yet, all of this and more couldn’t even start to do justice to the absolute vileness of that foul Calamity Ganon.  
Most nights, I would get spotty amounts of sleep as the pile of vermin would inch to and fro around the room, trying to viscously defile the other areas of the castle that I hadn’t allowed it to touch. After a hundred years, it had spread only a small amount since I had inserted myself into the chamber along with that wretched beast, and as I could tell, remained largely in place in front of me.  
I’d gotten used to never sleeping for more than a couple hours at a time, as I would always awaken with a start, clean up the damages caused as best as I could, and eventually doze off while the creature would resentfully creep along the floor towards me over again, repeating the cycle on and on.  
Every night was like this. . . Expect for one.  
Monthly, the blood moon made its appearance in the normally star-filled sky, and what was already horrible turned even worse.  
That particular night, the daylight had finally faded, yet there was no light above me. I had been watching the lunar cycles religiously for the past century, and knew very well that the unfortunate phase was due quite soon. Still, there was a thick layer of clouds covering the sky, effectively blocking out every celestial object over my head, and I couldn’t tell what was happening.  
Despite my anxiety, I had finally fallen asleep crouched against a cool stone wall, dreaming ponderously about where Link was on his quest, and whether or not he’d decided to fulfill it, given all of my mistreatment of him a century prior. It was a fairly cold night, and I had pulled the outer layer of my dress up and over my arms to warm me. Perhaps Link was laying in an inn somewhere, cleaning his swords and boots and skin, thinking about going to sleep and where he might go next in the morning—  
A blood-curdling screech suddenly pierced my ears.  
My eyes flew open to find an eerily red moon shining threateningly through the grey clouds, covering the sanctum in a maliciously sickening glow of pestilential red. The noxious mass of goop and tissue comprising the body of the Calamity was already pulsating with an odd and disgusting fury, and weening its way out of the phlegmy mass came the perverted, contorted face of a malignant man, and two pus-yellow eyes that blinked open and stared me down.  
When it opened its mouth, another screech was purged from its gross anatomy. And before I could shake off the sight of it, an oozing tendril peeled off of the ceiling, and came flying towards my face—

I awoke with a gasp.  
“Wha. . . Zelda?” Link asked very groggily, alerted by the sharp sound of my breathing.  
We were still inside the little inn on the edge of Tarry Town, and had fallen asleep earlier that night playing with a peculiar rainbow toy that Link had found in a concealed pocket in his pack. I felt it squished up against my side and pulled it out of the bed, shaking my head and murmuring, “It’s okay. Just had a bad dream, is all.”  
“Mmm.” He rolled onto his side facing me and rubbed his eyes. “Is there. . . Do you want to talk about it?”  
“No, no. I’m just going to go use the bathroom and get some water, though.”  
“Okay. I can walk with you if you want.“  
“I’m okay, love. Really.”  
Making a contented noise, he nodded and writhed his face back into his pillow, murmuring, “Whatever you say.”  
At that, I sat and grabbed my robe, shuffling out of our quarters and into the common room, where the embers were still burning from the fire earlier in the night when Father Kapson had cooked dinner. Pulling a plain metal cup from the wooden cabinet against the wall, I poured myself a glass of water from the old pitcher resting atop the dining table. I drank this slowly, watching the remaining sparks of fire softly glowing in the darkness. They reminded me of the little fireflies that glowed as they skirted across Hyrule Field in the summertime.  
After I finished, I set the glass down in the sink and wandered over to the front door. The bathhouse was behind the building, facing the lake, and I had to go around the back to reach it. Though it wasn’t too far a walk, I was still greatly reluctant to go outside, as the weather had only turned chillier the past few weeks. When my hand finally found the doorknob, I pulled it open and plodded outside.  
Before I realized it, I was screaming at the top of my lungs.  
Though it was realistically only a few seconds before Link had darted out the door after me, it felt like minutes. I had collapsed just a couple meters outside of the inn, landed in a puddle of mud from the rains that had fallen earlier in the day, and the stickiness of the texture caused me to slip around in pure terror. Finally, I shifted onto my knees and covered my head with my hands, screaming forcefully at the earth.  
“Zelda! Zelda, put your shield down!” I heard Link say a few feet off, along with the sound of someone knocking on a glass surface. He continued for a minute or so amidst my cries, until I finally realized that I had created a forcefield around me, the Triforce on my hand glowing brilliantly despite being covered in mud.  
I somehow managed to stop it, but the realization didn’t completely pacify me. Though I had stopped screaming, I was now so upset that I was sobbing and rambling aimlessly, and fell against Link’s chest as he wrapped his arms around me. I heard whatever weapon he’d grabbed clatter noisily to the ground.  
“Goodness gracious,” he said concernedly. “What’s wrong?“  
“—i-it’s back, he’s back, and the m-moon is going to bring them all back—“  
“The what?”  
_“—it’sgoingtobringthemallback—“_  
“Zelda,” Link finally said. The sternness in his voice surprised me so much that I gasped for air, looking up at him with tear-filled eyes.  
Father Kapson was peering out of the doorframe, and I spotted him from over Link’s shoulder, looking both frightened and rather concerned. Around us, a small crowd of curious residents had gathered, obviously awoken by the loud screaming they’d heard outside their homes.  
A hand turned my face back towards Link’s, where he looked at me with what seemed to be an expression uncomfortably set between fear and worry. “Are you hurt?”  
“I-I’m okay,” I said quietly.  
Nodding, he glanced down at my knees. “You fell. Did something scare you?”  
I was already feeling extremely idiotic, and at that point, I couldn’t help but begin to cry again. “I-it’s the moon. . . It’s red. . .”  
His face dropped. He looked almost heartbroken. “It’s just the—“  
“—The harvest _moon,_ I know,” I wailed through my tears, wiping angrily at my face. I didn’t even care that I was inevitably smearing thick mud across my skin. “I-I just had that dream, and then I came outside, and I _t-thought—“_  
“Honey,” Link consoled me, pulling my hands away from my eyes and beginning to wipe them himself. “It’s all right now, okay?”  
Taking my arm, he helped me stand back up out of the mud, and pulling me against his chest, he led me, still weeping, back to the bathhouse. As we walked away, I heard a small conversation in the distance.  
“What happened?” An older woman’s voice asked.  
Kapson sighed. “Unfortunately, the Princess has been through some very horrific experiences in her day. I believe the color of the moon may have triggered some rather unpleasant memories for her.”  
A murmur of sympathy arose from the crowd. Then, the voice of a young child asked, “Is she going to be okay?”  
“That’s something that we will have to wait and see in due time, little one.”

Ten minutes later, I was stewing in the large stone bath of the inn.  
Link had filled it with hot, steaming water, epsom salts, and a bit of lavender and chamomile from atop a medicine shelf near the sink. Meanwhile, I’d managed to peel off my ruined gown and pressed myself into a corner of the large tub, my knees pulled flush against my chest, hiding my shameful face between them.  
After a bit more rummaging around, I heard Link turn the pipe off, and the sound of running water ceased. Following the rustling of some clothes, there was a splash. He’d waded over to my side just a few moments later.  
He didn’t say a word. Instead, I watched him from under my elbow as he leaned up against the wall of the tub next to me, sighing as he settled to my side.  
“You’re not going to make fun of me?” I eventually asked, peeking at him from over my arm.  
An empathetic smile turned up his lips. “Of course not.”  
“You do all the time.”  
“Except when it really matters.”  
He was right. I knew better. He’d never treated me with anything but compassion when I was truly upset.  
At this point, I gave up trying to conceal myself from him, and relaxed my legs down into the water in front of me. The mud that had caked onto my skin began to dissolve, giving the crystal clear fluid the appearance of chocolate milk.  
“I’m sorry for waking you up,” I said quietly, wiping my still-damp eyes with my palm. “And everyone else. They’re probably going to think that I’m crazy now.”  
A small laugh escaped him. “I think you’d be surprised. I know the nobles used to be a bunch of tight-assed prudes back in the day, but most of the common people are more much understanding than you'd probably think.”  
I couldn’t help but smile a bit at this. “Really?”  
“Really. Especially after the war.”  
His hand took mine under the water. Looking over, I saw that it was just as disgusting as my own, and I couldn’t help but laugh.  
“What’s so funny?” he asked, smiling at me.  
“It looks like we’ve been rolling around in a pigpen.“  
“I mean, bumbling around in the mud will generally do that to you,” he answered, starting to giggle along with me. “It’s the curse of dirt, I say.”  
We laughed for a few more seconds. Finally starting to feel much more relaxed, I leaned over and rested my head against his shoulder.  
He looked over at me. “Now, are you going to tell me what happened out there? I know it’s about something that happened while you were trapped inside the castle.”  
I swung my head around to look at him, surprised. “How did you know?”  
“Because you never talk about it. Every time the castle is mentioned, you change the subject. Not to mention that you decided to go on a year-long tour of the country immediately after the war in any direction away from it, instead of wanting to take a break, like I figured you might.” His hand came up and began combing through my hair, which was clumped together from the dirt. “I didn’t want to push you on the subject, but obviously ignoring it isn’t helping matters.”  
Sighing, I had to agree with him. Not to mention that I had been so adamant about him being open with me about his grief over the Champions just a few months beforehand.  
And so, amid the hot suds and the aroma of lavender and chamomile hanging in the air, I told him about my dream. About the endless nights in the castle, when Ganon was more restless than usual. How I almost never felt clean, like I had been violated, and my skin could never be washed enough to feel like I was my own person again. The smell of decay and rot coming from everywhere, like an abandoned slaughterhouse, and the noises of death.  
By the time I finished, the water was murky and cold, the tall candles in the room burnt almost halfway down their shafts. Link had stopped combing his fingers through my hair and was instead holding me tightly around the arm, like he himself was living through the experience.  
When I had finished talking, he just sighed and let go of me, wordlessly moving to the other end of the tub to refill it with warm water. I watched him silently, unsure of what he was thinking.  
“Come over here,” he finally murmured, gesturing me over to him with his hand.  
I scooted myself over to him on my palms, unwilling to expose my wet skin to the chilly air. The water closer to the faucet was considerably warmer.  
Link took my hand and turned me around to where my back was towards him, and instructed me to sit. I did so. And without another word, he poured a generous amount of shampoo in his hand, and began working it through my hair.  
We were quiet for some time. He was obviously deep in thought, though his hands were gentle, despite the rough, calloused skin I knew covered his hands. And after conditioning and rinsing my hair, he began to scrub my skin using a bar of soap that smelled like peppermint and lemon.  
I hadn’t noticed that he’d actually been washing himself meanwhile, and by the time I was clean, he was clean, too. Still, after he finished, he still said nothing. Instead, his arms came around my waist, and he held me close against him, his head resting upon my shoulder as the faucet of water still ran beside us.  
“What are you doing?” I asked a minute or two later, turning my head to look at him.  
“Just thinking.”  
“About what?”  
He sighed. “About how sorry I am."  
“You’re sorry?” I asked incredulously. “Why in the world are you sorry?”  
“If I hadn’t basically died in that field, you wouldn’t have had to go in the castle to fight. If I hadn’t taken an entire century to be revived, you wouldn’t have had to stay in there for so long.”  
“Link,” I said then, relaxing against him, my hand reaching up to touch his cheek. “I keep telling you, it’s not your fault—“  
“But it _is—“_  
“Then take this for instance. If I had just been able to awaken my powers, you wouldn’t have died. If I had known how to heal you, you wouldn’t have been recovering for a hundred years. We are both at fault for different things, love, but you know what? It all turned out okay in the end.” I had begun absentmindedly stroke his face with my fingers. “And I’ve been trying for so long to reason through it myself, too, so I know how you can think that. But the only way I can figure it is that things happened the way that the Goddess planned. It happened because of the way that we prepared for it—albeit our preparation wasn’t enough.”  
He was quiet as he thought about this. “But how could we have known?”  
I shrugged lightly. “We couldn’t have. But we learned. And now our descendants will know. . . well, that history doesn’t always repeat itself. At least, of course, in the ways we might expect.”  
“Mm.” He turned his head and kissed my shoulder. “You never cease to amaze me.”  
“Ditto.”  
“Oh, hush. But, one more thing.”  
“What?”  
“How did you actually figure out how to use your powers?” He’d turned his head so that his lips were facing my neck, and I could feel the gentle cadence of his works tickling my neck. “I remember you tried all sorts of things. . . Study, travel, prayer. But you finally figured it out somehow.”  
I felt my face go warm at the thought of this. I knew the reason quite well myself, thought it was a tad embarrassing.  
“Promise not to laugh,” I repeated again.  
“Like I said before: I don’t when it really matters.”  
Rolling my eyes, I murmured, “Consider this. . . That day, I lost four of my best friends, my father, my home, my country. Just like you. And the only thing I still had by my side. . . Well. The only person still at my side in the end was you.” I sniffed. “And in that moment, when that Guardian had you pinned, and you still got up and protected me, even when you were so broken you could barely stand. . . I knew that I didn’t want to lose you, either.”  
Link stared at me. “But you didn’t want to lose your friends or family—“  
“I know. I _know,_ Link. But I wasn’t near them when it happened. If I could change the way things happened, I would, but I can’t.” I let my head loll back against his shoulder, my voice going a bit quieter. “But, regardless. . . I’ve loved you for a long time, you know.”  
He looked at me for a few moments. Eventually, though, he took his head off of my shoulder, and instead hid it behind me, his hair tickling the top of my neck. We sat there for another minute or so until I heard a quiet sniffle.  
I immediately turned around, but he swung his head in the opposite direction so I couldn’t quite see his face. Still, I knew perfectly well why, and I turned my body a bit more so that I was facing him completely, a smile lifting my cheeks as I turned his chin down towards me.  
“It’s okay to cry—“  
“I’m _not_ crying. I got dirt in my eyes.”  
My smile turned into a knowing grin. “I’m sure.”  
Link burst into a bout of giggles himself, then, and we laughed together for a few happy moments.  
A minute or so later, though, we turned off the water and stepped out of the tub, glad that Kapson had the forethought to leave an extra set of towels and robes in the bathhouse, as ours were practically ruined from earlier.  
Then, we went back inside and changed into proper nightclothes, combed our hair, and fell back in bed.  
“You wake me up if you have another nightmare, all right?” he said to me, poking my cheek as I reached to turn off the lantern on the bedside.  
Nodding, I said, “Okay.”  
“Good. Now, sweet dreams, Zelda.”  
“Sweet dreams, love.”

That next morning, I was awoken with a kiss.  
The sun was high in the morning sky, and when I cracked open my eyes, I found Link’s bright blue peeper smiling right back down at me, a wide smile turning up his perpetually pink lips.  
“Good morning, Snow White,” he said, pecking me again on the forehead. “Ready to have some fun on our last day in Tarry Town?”  
My eyebrows flew up. “We’re leaving already?”  
“I got word of a lovely hip-happening from a friend that I’d like to see for myself. I figured you might, too.”  
After I sat up, I shrugged. “You haven’t disappointed me yet. Let me get dressed.”  
And a few minutes later, Link was lacing the back of my corset as I brushed my hair. It was still a bit damp from our bath the night before, and figuring that the wetness might make it a bit frizzy, I tied it into a long braid down my neck.  
Link, meanwhile, finished my corset with a simple word. I, however, was unconvinced.  
“Link, it’s not tight enough.”  
“Yes, it is. It fits your figure exactly.”  
I explained, saying, “A corset is supposed to _shape_ your figure, not _fit_ it, love.”  
He made a disapproving noise. “I thought they were supposed to keep your tits strapped in.”  
“Well, that too,” I admitted, laughing at his frankness. “But if that were the case, we’d just wear something to tie across them.”  
“But doesn’t it hurt you? I mean, all those old noblewomen back in the day always had such bad breathing issues—“  
“That’s because they were old women, not because of the corset—“  
“Zelda, it confines you in all sorts of ways that just can’t be healthy.“  
“What would you rather I do, then? Look like some sort of untrained, uncultured girl who doesn’t have to run a country?” I asked, starting to get a bit bothered by the argument. “All the noblewomen wear them—“  
Link came around to sit on my vanity, facing me, a serious expression on his face. “Listen to me, Z. It can’t be good for your abdomen. Furthermore, if you need to fight or protect yourself, you have limited movement. And, here’s the thing about noble fashion: all the other nobles are _dead._ So set the new standard in a way that’s going to be best for _you.”_  
We stared at each other for several long, awkward moments, until I finally had to concede to his point. Sighing, I said, “Fine. Undress me, then.”  
“Happily.”  
As he did this, I watched him in the mirror as he loosened the ties of my corset with his usual focus, until he eventually pulled it apart enough that he could raise it easily off my head. Dangling the garment lackadaisically from his fingers, he grinned and looked down at my naked breasts in the mirror. “There, see? That looks much better.”  
It took all of my willpower not to laugh at this, and it still wasn’t enough. I swatted the corset from his hand as I giggled, saying, “Stop being a flirt and go pick out a dress, if you know so much about fashion.”  
Obviously pleased with himself, he strolled over to the wardrobe that we shared, and looked for a while through the chest until he found something he liked. Finally, he returned with a lacy lavender gown with long sleeves, something ancient that I’d thrown in my bag and still hadn’t worn in all the months that it’d traveled with us.  
Impressed by the choice, I nodded at him. “Fair enough.”  
A few minutes later, we were ready to go and walking out the door.  
Thanks to the storm that had happened the day previous, the air was a tad humid, but still chilly enough that it wasn’t miserable. Link led me outside by the arm, taking care to walk around the puddle of mud that had been abused by my flailing previously, and had unfortunately dried to reflect this struggle.  
He was sweet in that he suppressed his laughter until the bursting moment that even I couldn’t hold it in any longer myself, so embarrassed that I couldn’t hardly figure out what else to possibly do to relieve my embarrassment. And we continued to giggle until we’d strolled our way into the middle of the village towards the small shrine, where we both knelt in our daily prayer.  
After finishing mine, I stood back up as Link ended his own, and looked around the village.  
Much to my dismay, I discovered that a majority of the townsfolk were watching me intently.  
There was a deep heat that surfaced onto my cheeks, and I began to feel extremely ashamed of myself. Lowering my eyes, I looked away from their gazes, crossing my fingers together so that they wouldn’t see me nervously fidget. Unfortunately, Link had decided to pray for a decently long period, and I was left standing there awkwardly for a few more minutes, feeling dozens of eyes on me.  
However, a minute or two later, my embarrassed silence was interrupted by the sound of heavy footsteps approaching from behind.  
Turning around, I realized that a small group of children had gathered behind us, each looking nervously back up at me. The footsteps that had given away their stealthiness belonged to the little Goron named Pelison, who helped his father sell gems. Next to him was another little Hylian girl named Hunnie, who had been sick earlier in the year and Link had helped heal, and squished something nervously in her grasp. The other few children surrounding them I didn’t recognize, but they still watched me expectantly all the same.  
“P-Princess,” the small Goron squeaked out, anxiously twiddling something around between his hands. “W-we wanted t-to give you. . . Some things. . . That might help you s-sleep better.”  
I was shocked beyond words. Blinking surprisedly, we stared at each other for another few moments until Pelison finally revealed a large shard of a purple gem he was holding, and raised it up as high as he could. “I-it’s a piece of amethyst. They always give it to people for p-protection back home.”  
Bending at the knees, I bewilderedly accepted the crystal, looking at him with wonder. “Thank you, Pelison.”  
At that moment, Hunnie stepped warily forward, presenting a small little stuffed animal bird. “It’s a birdie. M-my mama always says that they, uh, s-sing your troubles away.” She placed it carefully in my hand.  
The other few children followed with small gifts of their own, which included a bracelet made with wooden beads, a small and well-loved copy of bedtime stories, and even a little toy horse, which had wheels for feet to make it move faster across the ground. All of this was placed in my arms without a single thought, and by the end of it, I was threatening to cry so much that the children began to look like they had done something wrong.  
“Are you okay, Princess?” Hunnie asked quietly, touching my arm with her small hand.  
At that moment, I had to set all of their little gifts down in front of me so that I could wipe my eyes. “Yes, yes. I just— _thank you._ All of you. _So_ much,” I said, finally breaking into a smile as tears started rolling down my cheeks. “This is so kind."  
Their faces all lit up at these words, and I couldn’t help but outstretch my arms to them. They all piled onto me in an embrace, giggling jovially, still being careful to not step on any of the trinkets that they had just given me. And a few sweet moments later, they ran off all the same, cheerful and happy as ever.  
I was left crying sappily on the dock of the shrine, a meager pile of children’s articles sitting charitably at my feet.  
At that moment, Link knelt down beside me and pulled me against him, smiling knowingly. “They’re sweet kids, aren’t they?”  
“Dear Goddesses, _yes,”_ I said, trying and largely failing to pull myself together. He just laughed dotingly at this and pushed a few strands of bangs from my eyes.  
Another minute or so later, the sound of footsteps approached me again from behind, this time all notably heavier that those of the children from earlier. Sniffling, and back turning around, I came face to face with a crowd of many of the same villagers that had been watching me so curiously just a few minutes before, fronted by Rhondson and Hudson, who carried a medium-sized basket full of articles.  
“It is not much, Your Highness,” the Gerudo woman warmly began, “in regards to the sacrifices that you have made for us. But we know that you are soon leaving, and wished that you know how greatly we respect all that you’ve done.”  
I couldn’t help but break into tears all over again, messily pouring out my thanks admits my tears. At seeing this, Link pulled me close to him again and thanked them for me, as I was far too emotional to successfully do so.  
When I had calmed down a bit, and Link had finished his conversation with the group, I looked back up at them once more to see them all in a synchronized bow, bent deeply at the waist with their hands over their hearts. The kind of bow that I only ever saw given. . . to my mother and father, over a hundred years ago.  
At that moment, I felt so loved that I thought I could die a happy girl.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, hello! I hope this update finds you all in good health. :)
> 
> So, a few notes. . . 
> 
> 1) The reference for Zelda's lavender dress is [this.](https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/1a/bf/96/1abf96c3beaaddbcc8ae3ef66350b0e5--lavender-lace-dress-lavender-prom-dresses.jpg)  
> 2) If you don't know what amethyst looks like or stands for. . . Here's [this!](http://meanings.crystalsandjewelry.com/amethyst/)  
> 3) My little example for what Hunnie's small stuffed bird looked like was [this little guy!](https://img0.etsystatic.com/005/0/5199958/il_570xN.386822332_i8a8.jpg)
> 
> And lastly. . . I must leave you with an unfortunate announcement.
> 
> So, as you have seen before on the other notes I left on previous chapters, I live a very busy life at the moment. Unfortunately, with the start of school in less than two weeks, moving into a new apartment, being heavily involved in Honors and extracurricular events, and running three jobs, I will not get any less busy anytime soon.  
> That being said: I cannot promise that I will be able to continue updating fairly frequently, or even regularly at all, for that matter. Normally, the way this fic actually gets written is on my phone as I'm falling asleep. . . And knowing how tired I'm going to be, I can't guarantee much.  
> This is not to say that this fic will be discontinued by ANY means--I love writing it and sharing it with you guys. The sad reality, though, is that I will be unable to dedicate nearly as much time to it as I'd like, and therefore won't be able to generate new content nearly as quickly as I have been.  
> Nonetheless. . . I hope you all still continue loving this couple and their journey thus far as much as I have! Thank you all so much for all of your support so far--it has been so much more of a help than you possibly know.  
> Love y'all, and I hope I'll be back soon!
> 
> Hit me up on tumblr [here!](http://takidaka.tumblr.com/)  
> If you _really_ love this fic and would like to buy me a coffee, please do so [here.](http://ko-fi.com/A6833FJM) :)


	15. Scintillation*

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> . . . in which things get a bit spicy. ;)

Along our travels to our next location—a location in which Link was bound and determined to keep me from knowing—we stopped at a relatively large tavern along the road.  
It was a cold and dreary night when we rode up and handed off our exhausted steeds to the stablehands. Link, a bit put off by the weather, and because his clothing was drenched, took care of purchasing the room while I meandered around the common area, scouting out what we’d be eating for our late dinner.  
The building was obviously old and well-used, but I gratefully got a homely sense of comfort—something that was largely a hit or miss when it came to these taverns, it seemed. The walls and floors were made of the same worn oak, and the tables were clean but rather scuffed. There was a bar, of course, where old travelers sat, drinking ale and laughing at old stories, and a few ladies serving soups and stews that smelled hearty and delicious. To my great delight, a small ensemble was making music over by the fireplace, and a decent-sized part of the room had been sectioned off for several couples who were dancing and singing happily.  
But when I ran back over and told Link about this, I got a slightly pained look in reply.  
“You don’t want to dance?” I asked, my hopes sinking a bit.  
He looked around warily, picking up our packs in his hands as he started to lead me upstairs to our room for the night. “I-I just. . . I don’t like doing that kind of thing in front of people I don’t know.”  
I couldn’t blame him; he was, after all, a much more introverted person than me. “But Tarrey Town?”  
“Zelda, I know absolutely everyone there.”  
It was true. Not wanting to push him too far, I conceded to this point, but he read the disappointment on my face as easily as a book.  
“I’ll come down here and watch if you want to dance while we eat dinner, love,” Link offered, handing me the key to our bedroom. “And who knows? You might convince me after all.”  
“Challenge accepted!” I chimed, leaning over to peck him on the cheek before I went to unlock the door. “You know, you’re the sweetest person I’ve ever met.”  
He opened his mouth to protest, but by that point, I’d managed to undo the lock and flung open the heavy wooden door. We were both a little taken aback by the niceness of the room; though simple, the furniture was old and antique, and the bed was large and plush enough that I was already excited to sleep—a ready change from the small, hard cots that we were used to sharing.  
“What kind of room is _this?”_ I laughed, taking my pack from Link after we walked in.  
He shrugged, looking just as surprised as I was. “I just said I wanted a soft bed big enough for two. I guess this is the closest thing they had available.”  
“Hm. Well, I’m not going to complain.” Throwing my bag down, I ripped it open and rummaged around for a gown that wasn’t dirtied and soiled from the ride. The only things I could find were the beautiful red gown that Link had commissioned for me, wrapped tediously so as to prevent it from getting damaged, along with an older pink gown that I hadn’t worn in months. So, throwing my old clothes to the side, I quickly tore off my nasty travel outfit and changed into the rosy dress.  
Link, meanwhile, was doing the same thing, but changed into a comfortable old set of Hylian trousers and a nicer tunic, which was embroidered with white flowers on a light purple fabric. Still, he was finagling with removing the leather guards he kept on his arms and legs for protection.  
“I like violet on you,” I said, finally tying off the back of my dress, and moving to help him remove all of the dirty armor. With a grateful look, he let me continue to take the rest of the gear off. “It’s quite becoming with your hair.”  
“I like every color on you,” he answered flirtatiously, though I could hear the exhaustion in his voice. “It’s quite becoming of your everything.”  
I smacked him lightly on the leg. “At least buy me dinner first. Come on,” I prompted, throwing the last bit of leather onto the pile we made on the floor. “Let’s go eat.”  
“You don’t have to tell me twice.”  
And so, arm in arm, we descended to the common area, glad to finally have a small chance to rest.

We ordered a hearty meal. Link insisted on trying the pumpkin soup with a rack of ribs, and I went for a cozy serving of chicken stew with some sort of "world-famous" roast beef sandwich. His mood picked up rather quickly after that. It got even better when I ordered him a stein of ale and myself a glass of wine, and we both ate and drank and laughed merrily, glad to be off the road for the night.  
“Speaking of the tour,” Link began, setting his near-empty glass on the table, “how long are we going to keep this up?”  
A bit surprised at the question, I asked, “What do you mean?”  
He shrugged, licking a bit of sauce off of his finger. “Are you wanting to head to the west and see all of that country, as well? Or were you planning on stopping at any particular point?”  
Though I kept my expression neutral, it suddenly dawned on me just how tired this boy probably was of traveling. I’d noticed recently—especially while on the move—that he was starting to get increasingly weary the more we moved around. “I don’t know, love. I’ve kind of been going on it by ear.”  
“Mm. Have you thought at all about starting to head back to the castle?” He asked delicately, looking timidly at me. Ever since my most recent panic attack at the sight of the harvest moon, he’d been sweetly careful about stirring up any of my memories about the palace or the war.  
I couldn’t help but smile at this. “Soon. Not quite yet, but soon.”  
A little while later, I’d finished my soup and sandwich and about half a bottle of wine. Link, still a bit reluctant to dance, remained at our table, as I went ahead and started bobbing around to the beat of an old folk tune.  
“You’re sure you don’t want to join me?” I called back to him a few minutes later, waving my empty arms not unlike a chicken.  
He only smiled bemusedly back at me, brows high on his face, and shook his head. “You’re doing enough for the both of us, darling,” he called back, taking the Sheikah slate out of its pouch on his hip and beginning to flip through its contents. He was then officially distracted, not paying much attention to me at all.  
Feeling slightly put off by this, and a bit heady because of the alcohol, I decided to make a damned spectacle of myself in retaliation. And so, I began to pull out all of the steps to an old style of dance that I hadn’t done in nearly a century. Suddenly, all those tedious classes I was forced to take as a child seemed like they might finally be worth it.  
Surprisingly, the steps and leaps of the dance came back quite naturally. Slowly but surely, the folks who were around me started to create a decent amount of space for me on the floor, watching interestedly as I continued to step and leap gracefully to the jig that the ensemble had begun to accommodate my movements.  
At some point, a few minutes later, I was approached by a tall young man of athletic build—similar to Link, but more pronounced in the muscles of his legs, whereas Link had bulk evenly spread across his body. Because of my prior experience, I could tell he was a dancer, and only had this judgement confirmed when he jumped in and began to do the step dance beside me.  
Soon enough, we were playing off of each other’s movements, and my initial dance had turned into a complex and flirtatious spectacle that had captured the attention of most everyone in the tavern. By the end of the jig, we were holding arms, and ended with a suggestive pose of the two of us pressed against each other.  
The crowd cheered and whistled, and the man and I stared at each other with eager grins on our faces, breathing hard because of the intensity of the dance. Finally, the musicians began a slower ballad, and the two of us broke apart and laughed.  
“You’re quite the confident one, aren’t you?” I gushed, laughing amusedly at the dark-haired man standing next to me.  
He only flashed me what looked to be some sort of a cornball smile that he probably practiced in the mirror twenty times a day. “I would say so, yes. So, would you like to dance again, or am I going to have to treat you like a princess to convince you further?”  
Sighing, I shook my head. “Well, you should be treating me like a princess regardless, but I suppose I’ll make an exception at this point. My lover isn’t too keen of dancing, anyway.”  
“Oh, really? What lover of yours?” The man asked with mild interest, offering his hand to me.  
I took it, continuing to babble as we took our place on the floor. “That handsome specimen mulling over that tablet at the table. Quite introverted. Ah, still,” I rambled, gazing longingly over at the preoccupied warrior, who was distractedly doing something with the Sheikah Slate. ”I love him with every ounce of my being.”  
“He _is_ rather handsome,” he agreed emphatically. “You must be a lucky lady. But why doesn’t he dance with you? I mean, if it’s something you truly enjoy.”  
“Oh, he does!” I exclaimed happily. “But in private. He’s quite the sweetheart. A surprisingly bashful little thing.”  
The man just laughed. “Well, you’re a surprisingly talkative little thing. My name is Murphy, by the way.”  
“Well, Murphy, you should know better than to start a conversation with a buzzed scholar if you’re so sensitive to talk. And I’m Zelda. It’s a pleasure.”  
“Zelda?” Murphy asked, beginning to lead me in a relatively slow waltz, arms comfortably settling around my waist. “Where have I heard that before?”  
Shrugging, I replied, “It’s quite an old name. You’ve probably seen it in a book somewhere.” Though I had been entertained by his presence, I wasn’t quite ready to divulge my true persona—especially while under the influence of any alcohol.  
Thankfully, Murphy just smiled and shrugged, gently leading me around in a in time with the music’s tempo. “Sounds lovely. And you said you were a scholar, eh?”  
“Indeed. I specialize my studies in ancient history and runes, but I study history in general.”  
“Interesting! I feel like we could have a decent conversation, then,” he said animatedly, perking up at my reply. “I’m actually traveling on a research trip for Sheikah culture.”  
_“Really?”_ I asked incredulously. “I actually happen to know quite a bit about that subject. Why in the world are you studying it, though?”  
“Well, I’ve actually been studying dance all my life. That’s why I was so surprised to see you pull out a step dance—especially given how obscure it is nowadays. But I’m trying to write a study on various traditional dances from all over Hyrule, and my next area of research is the Sheikah.”  
From then on, the two of us found ourselves quite easily engaged in conversation with one another. I was extremely pleased to find another person who was still invested in research, given how much of a toll the war had taken on the country. We rambled on and on for several minutes and through several songs, where we danced comfortably and interestedly with each other for quite some time.  
At some point—the alcohol having definitely started to have an effect on my demeanor—I had started to get much more comfortable with the dancer. Thankfully, I could very easily tell that he wasn’t interested in me, or any woman at all; and that being said, I wasn’t too worried about leaning up against him for support when I missed the occasional step.  
But, still, we danced for a long time, each song fading into the next, as we discussed several points of interest about the Sheikah culture. I even went so far as to start describing how he might make it to the hidden Kakariko Village, on the grounds that he used my name as a ticket to speak to Impa.  
Suddenly, without any warning, I felt an unknown hand wrap around my Within seconds, I was ripped away from Murphy and down the back hallway of the tavern, poorly lit and eerily quiet. I started to shout and flail about rather violently before I got a good glance of who was being so rough with me.  
It was Link. Though I couldn’t see his face, I saw under the light of a passing candle that his ears were bright red, and he marched forward in a similar way that he walked onto a battlefield, already imagining how he was going to kill the enemies he saw before him.  
“Link? What are you—“  
Without a single word, he continued pulling me behind him, moving with such haste that I stumbled over several objects near my feet. There wasn’t a brief moment of respite until we had made it back up the stairs and he’d slammed our bedroom door shut behind us.  
By this point, I was understandably concerned. “What on _Earth_ is going on?”  
I was answered by him suddenly spinning around and staring me down furiously, expression so intense that I actually backed away at first. But I almost immediately recognized the fear in his eyes—the same kind of fear I’d seen a little over a month before, when I collapsed after healing him.  
Finally, he sputtered, “What’s going _on?_ You’re making a fool of yourself dancing with some—some _vagrant,_ who can’t keep his hands off of you—and then you’re asking me why _I’m_ so upset w-when—“ Link cut himself off, his eyes dropping from mine and falling to the floor. His hands clenched and relaxed over and over as he struggled to find his words. “How— _why_ would you do that?”  
The only answer I could find for several seconds was to blink stupidly back at him. Eventually, I calmly explained, “I was only dancing with him, Link. Nothing more than what would’ve been allowed in Court.” Then I shrugged. “Well, then again, maybe not the alcohol. But we were only talking about research.”  
He looked back up at me for a few seconds. I watched his temper boil down just a tad—but only enough that I was able to tell that he was hurt by what I’d done.  
“Link,” I began, touching his face with my free hand. “What is this _really_ about?”  
He just stared at me for a few moments like he couldn’t believe that I’d asked the question. Then, all at once, his vulnerabilities seemed to fall away, and he retreated back into himself like he used to do so often before the War. “Just—n-nothing. It’s stupid. Forget I asked.” Turning around, he sighed and began to remove the weapons that were always hidden in his clothing.  
At this point, I was beginning to grow a bit frustrated. I marched in front of him and smacked his hands away from his clothes, forcing him to return his attention to me. “Excuse me, but I need to know the reason why I was dragged away from a perfectly enjoyable conversation. Quite rudely, may I add.”  
His demeanor had become almost as quiet and aloof as it had been prior to our journey, back when he was still too timid to talk to me. I knew by this fact alone that something was greatly troubling him.  
After several more awkward moments, he finally sighed, and pointedly asked, “Why were you flirting with him?”  
Taken aback by the question, I repeated, “Flirting? You m-mean—with _Murphy?”_  
“I don’t care what his name is,” Link practically spat, obviously quite put off by the matter. “But why were you acting so—so _heady_ with him? Like he was suddenly the most interesting man in the room? And the way you danced like you were having the time of your life, like you’d never met a man you got on with so well, and he kept looking at you like you were a snack—“  
It was my turn to stare at him in surprise. He continued to ramble and rant several more of his thoughts, until I finally interrupted him. “Link.”  
“What?”  
Raising my eyebrow, I asked, “Are you _jealous?”_  
“What in Hylia’s name—no, I’m not bloody jealous,” he argued, beginning to get heated again. “He was just so damned _obnoxious—“_  
“You’re jealous,” I repeated again, a slight smile beginning to turn up my lips. “You actually, _legitimately_ think that I enjoy his company more than yours.”  
“For _Hylia’s sake,_ Zelda, I’m not—“  
“Yes, you are,” I teased, smirking as I stepped forward to take his hands. “You’re angry that he finds me charming and lovely, and you actually believe that I find him to be just the same—“  
“Zelda, for crying out loud,” Link nearly shouted, his face flushed with anger once again. “I’m not jealous of that oaf, and if you don’t _stop_ trying to convince me that I am—“  
Still, I inched closer and closer to him as he protested, until I was hovering just in front of his face, his lips a mere hair’s width away from my own. And, when he finally quieted himself down, I replied with a simple, nonchalant, “Yes, you are.”  
His lips smashed into mine with an earnest force, nearly toppling me over onto the floor. Thankfully, I caught my footing quickly and pressed back against him, my mocking smile undeniable against his teeth. He growled in reply, and the sound resonated against my skin.  
We moved quickly from there. My hands found the hem of his tunic and had pulled it off by the time that he’d managed to undo the back of my dress. Before I had much time to realize it, he’d pushed me back onto our bed and was climbing of top of me, legs straddling my hips.  
Our mouths were still tangled together as he fumbled with the front of my corset, trying to unfasten all the complicated ties and strands, until he finally pulled away from me and asked, “How much do you care about this corset?”  
“Not very—“  
And before my sentence was finished, Link had already pulled a smaller dagger out of one of his pockets, and cut through the laces with complete ease. My chest seemed to expand tenfold as I inhaled, his hands throwing the knife to the floor and ripping the open fabric from around my back. When I was bare in front of him, save for my underpants, his breath hitched and his eyes widened—something that I never got tired of seeing.  
Before I let him completely forget about our argument, I reached up and began fingering the skin under his waistband, positioning him close above me while I asked, “Are you _sure_ you’re not jealous?”  
He squinted. “No. I’m not.”  
His hand came up to push a few stray strands of hair from my face—before he could take his hand away, though, I caught his wrist, slipped his thumb into my mouth and smirked suggestively at him. When he was properly flustered by the action, I freed his finger with a popping noise and murmured, “Prove it.”  
That, apparently, was all that it took. I couldn’t help but let out an amused laugh as Link pressed his lips to mine once again, almost feverishly, his hands tangling in my hair and caressing my neck. His hips came down and rolled against mine with perfect intensity, himself fully aware of just where he was applying pressure—and, after accidentally letting out a short cry of pleasure, I grabbed his ass in retaliation.  
Finally, after a few minutes of grinding against each other, our hips knocking together in unison, I let go of his ass only to slip my hand down the front of his trousers. He looked at me with a hint of betrayal, peeling his face away from mine just far enough that we could breathe.  
“That’s quite forward of the Princess of Hyrule, don’t you think?” He tauntingly asked, trying to conceal his obvious discomfort at my extremely close contact with his member.  
Shrugging, I only tightened my hold, moving my hand leisurely as I watched him try to keep a straight face. (He was very bad at it.) “I’m just saying: if you’d take these off, we could get on with business.”  
Link merely clicked his tongue, shaking his head as he tried to keep from twitching. “So impatient.” He reached down and pulled my hand away from his nether regions, instead lacing his fingers between my own. “Never letting me take my time the way that I’d like.”  
“We’d be here all night if I did.”  
“And would that be a bad thing?”  
“Mm. I don’t know.”  
His face moved from its position hovering above me and pressed against my neck, where he began biting into the skin, murmuring, “Okay, then. If I admit it, will you let me have my way?”  
“Oh- _ho!_ So our young hero admits that he has some character flaws?”  
“Oh, I have many, my dear,” he said, his lips starting to trace a line straight down my chest. “But I’m afraid that I won’t strike a bargain until I know for sure that we have one.”  
“Hm.” I let my free hand run through his hair, and he looked up and smiled at me audaciously from between my breasts as I finished my thought. “I suppose, then, that I’ll have to agree.”  
“Wonderful.” His face came up to mine, where he hovered just above me, and quietly murmured, “Zelda, my love, I am _so_ absolutely jealous that that man got anywhere close to you.”  
“Really, now?”  
“Indeed. So much so that, in fact, I feel the right and proper need to make sure that you’re absolutely _mine.”_  
I rolled my eyes at him. “Link, you already know full and well that I— _Oh.”_ And that’s when his hand dropped down to _that_ spot, pressing just right and deftly eliciting a rather indecent noise from me.  
Well. I’d done myself in this time.  
He only smirked and let his mouth continue its journey southwards, fingers beginning to move and tease rather rudely against the thin fabric of my panties. It took an achingly long time for his lips to travel the full length of my chest and stomach, and finally down to to inside of my thighs. Unfortunately for me, however, he pulled away once he was almost exactly where I wanted him.  
Before I could restrain myself, I let out a frustrated noise, beginning to fidget uncomfortably with my desire for his touch. When I looked down, I still only saw the same infuriating smirk, changing shape only for a moment to blow cool air on the inside of my leg. After I shot him an unamused look, he began to speak, reaching down to pull off my undergarments meanwhile.  
“I’m so jealous that you let anyone’s mouth but my own hold your attention for so long.”  
“Link, I—“  
But before I could even answer, he was _there,_ and I let out a noise so indecent that my hand flew up to cover my own mouth. He laughed a little at my answer—the vibrations of his voice doing nothing to help me maintain my dignity—and pressed his tongue further inside of me, kissing and stroking and ravishingly a part of my body that I had never expected to betray me in such a way. He was so ardent and fervid with each movement that I knew that, after months and months of teasing and harassing him, combined with the effects of the ale he’d downed, that I was finally getting a _big_ taste of my own medicine.  
After only a minute or two, I came closer and closer to climaxing until my entire body tensed, my breath hitched, and I felt myself to be only seconds away from that overwhelming feeling—  
—until he suddenly stopped. As if perfectly attuned to my body, Link brought himself away just before I was about to explode, watching me squirm and fidget helplessly for his touch. But instead, he brought his lips back up to my own and murmured, “Not yet.”  
“I could have you beheaded for this,” I panted, kissing him reluctantly. “I could absolutely murder you.”  
“But you won’t.”  
And he was right.  
Still—that didn’t change the fact that I was more than a little hot and bothered. Growing incredibly impatient, I grunted and quickly slipped my hands away from his grasp and towards my nether regions—only to be caught by him before I even got close.  
“Link—“  
“Patience, Princess.”  
“I’m going to eat you alive.”  
“Nope. That’s my job.” Letting go of one of my hands, his fingers were suddenly against me once again, and my hips twitched up and out at the sudden contact.  
I let out half a scream as a result, giving him a look of death when I gathered myself. He only responded with another smirk and by moving his hand in a way so skillful and so unique to my body that I started to absolutely regret how much I’d let him touch me in times beforehand.  
And soon enough, I was clinging to his neck for dear life, kissing him so furiously that I could hardly breathe, barely able to register all of the powerful sensation that this beautiful, wonderful, sweet boy gave me, and loving every single tortuous moment.  
He did the same thing again just a minute later, pushing and working me until I was almost about to surf the wave, feeling my body go tense under his grasp, touching me in all the ways that he only knew how to do until—  
Until, once again, he suddenly wasn’t. He pulled his hand up and away from my flesh, causing me to let out a growl so primal that I got a surprised expression from him in return. I started to try to wrestle my hands from him, to rub myself desperately against his thigh, to do anything that would relieve me of the feeling of almost ecstasy that I’d now been denied twice.  
But, nonetheless, he was still the Hero of the Wild. He was strong and commanding and patient in all of the worst ways. As such, he anticipated every move of mine, and was able to stop me before I did anything at all.  
I was whining loudly like a child when he spoke again.  
“Now you know how it felt.”  
“How _what_ felt?!“  
His lips came down teasingly against my neck, biting into my flesh as he interrupted me. _“How it felt to watch you with another man._ Now. I’ll promise to be nice to you again if you do one more thing for me.”  
“For Hylia’s sake— _what?”_  
“Sit up.”  
I pulled away and squinted at him. “Sit up?”  
He nodded, raising his own body up and away from my own. _“Up.”_  
As I skeptically and reluctantly rolled over and up onto my knees, kicking the loose blankets off the bed and onto the floor, Link flopped over onto his back, his face towards the ceiling.  
Looking over, I could see that he himself was obviously rock-hard. Still, he only said, “Now, come over here and sit.”  
“Sit? On what?”  
“My face.”  
“Your _what?”_  
He looked over at me nonchalantly. “My _face.”_  
I continued to stare at him.  
“You know, you hear about a lot of things while eavesdropping in a Gerudo tavern,” Link laughed, reaching over to take my hand. “Trust me. They talked about this one all the time.”  
It took me a couple of stunned seconds to finally concede to his point—the Gerudo, of all women, would know what they were talking about. Besides, it wasn’t as if he hasn’t already stuck his face between my legs just a few minutes prior.  
So, feeling absolutely ridiculous, I scooted my myself over to where he lay waiting, knowing that my cheeks must be the shade of wildberry wine. “You better be right about this, or I’m going to suffocate you while I’m at it.”  
“Won’t that be a hell of a story?” Link chuckled to himself, his hands coming up to hold me by the hips. I shivered at the touch of his warm, calloused hands against my skin. “And besides: you don’t have to be so bashful around me, love. We’ve seen every inch of each other.”  
“It’s not that, it’s just that this is. . . Well, it’s—“  
“It’s what, darling?”  
“I-It’s just, you know. . . Indecent. Obscene. Absolutely _lewd,”_ I said nervously, reluctant to move my nether regions any closer to his face. “It’s one thing if I’m laying down on my back, but something else completely when I’m up here about to put that up anywhere so close to your—“ I cut myself off with a yelp as Link eagerly jostled me up and onto his face, and I was suddenly unable to think anywhere near as clearly as I had just a few moments previous.  
Before I could think twice about it, I let out an outright moan. Link only made an approving noise as he continued his venture, taking his sweet time, as always. The only half-coherent part of my brain that was still functioning was thanking the Goddess above for a man like him.  
A few seconds later, one of his hands slid down to the back of my ass, gripping it just firmly enough to send me his next instruction: _start moving._  
“I can’t,” I whimpered, hunched over with my hands propping me up on the free area of the mattress above his head. “Link, I _can’t—“_  
He made a noise similar to a protest, purposefully using the same hand to reach underneath me and slip a finger inside to accompany his tongue. I felt my eyes practically roll back into my head at the sheer overload of stimulation; all of this, combined with the degree of arousal that he had imposed upon me just a few minutes beforehand, was driving me exasperatingly close to that ecstasy that he’d denied me earlier.  
Without meaning to, my hips began to jolt forward, like a horse that was ready to run out of the gates. Thankfully, Link’s other hand was still firmly placed on my hip, keeping me from moving too far away from him. His other hand, however, was nevertheless pressed inside me, rubbing against the spot where he knew I _always_ turned into liquid at his touch. Combined with the effects of his tongue and his lips, I couldn’t blame myself for making so many sounds as I was, in attempt to release at least a little of the numbing sensation that I felt overtaking my body.  
And finally, I felt the climax of all this stimulation starting to culminate into one giant feeling of ecstasy, my body tensing and weakening uncontrollably, as I dug my fingernails into the bed, nearly screaming, “Link, I’m about—I’m almost—I’m gonna—“  
And it hit all at once. I felt it in every muscle and nerve ending of my body, and before I realized it, my arms gave out and I keeled over, falling completely off of the bed and onto the wooden floor, smacking my head against the wall meanwhile.  
“Oh my Goddess, Zelda! Are you—“ Link started, immediately darting down after me.  
I felt my eyes twitch as I tried to regain myself, somehow feeling no pain, despite the fact that I had just taken a decent whack to the head. Nonetheless, Link picked me up in his arms and was laying me back out across the bed, saying something that I wasn’t listening to as he inspected my head.  
“Link,” I murmured then, focusing my eyes on his.  
“What? Are you in pain? Let me go get some ice—“  
“No,” I said immediately, a hint of ferocity in my voice. “You already started this. Now take off your trousers and finish the job.”  
Link’s expression turned from concern to surprise in less than a second. “Zelda, you might have a concussion—“  
“We’ll worry about it later.” Reaching up, I pulled him down by the chain of the matching stone necklaces that we shared, bringing his face a sheer breath’s width away from my own. “Fuck me. _Right now.”_  
He stared straight at me for two or three seconds, expressionless. I maintained my intense look, despite my internal worry that I’d been too assertive with him.  
But in a mere instant, he was practically ripping off his pants, throwing his belt and other keepings across the room without a single care for the loud clattering they made. His lips were fire against my own, pressing into me with a bit of the carnal desperation that I saw in his eyes right before making a kill—but, this time, all focused on me, and what he was about to do.  
Thankfully, he got himself undressed rather quickly, and we continued to press hotly against each other, enjoying the electric sensation of our bare skin touching. Breaking away a couple of seconds later, Link asked, “Can I—?”  
“For Hylia’s sake, _yes,”_ I breathed, leaning up to grab his bottom lip with my teeth. He pressed his mouth to mine again and again, kissing me intensely as he reached down to position himself. And all at once, he was finally there, and we simultaneously groaned against each other’s lips.  
He started slowly, as if trying to resume his original plan of taking his time. But I pulled my head back slightly, just far enough that I could speak, and muttered, _“You better not.”_  
“Well, _excuse me,_ Princess,” he retorted, raising his brows as my forwardness. Thankfully, though, he obliged, picking up the pace and moving much more quickly. One of his hands trailed up to my breasts, groping one of them passionately, circling up and around my nipple as he proceeded, keeping tempo with each thrust and each kiss that I reciprocated. My own hands came up and started to run across his chest and the base of his neck, strong and supple yet still amazingly soft, glistening with a thin layer of sweat—a body I was beginning to know just as well as my own.  
A minute later, I dropped one of my hands down to press against the lower area of my abdomen, so that I was applying pressure down upon us moving as one. The sensation was great for the both of us, and I could tell by how vocal he became thereafter. I soon began to feel the peak of the wave hit me once again, as it did for Link; the muscles in his entire body began to tense up, and his grunts turned into broken, desperate noises, and he began to stutter, “Zel-Zelda, I’m about to—I need to pull out—“  
“Don’t,” I managed, frantically shaking my head, willing myself to not completely lose my senses. _“Don’t.”_  
“But I c-can’t—“  
I pressed down even harder against my flesh, and suddenly, his protest turned into a loud cry, and his hips finally broke their rhythm as he sunk down against me. It was a sense of relief like we had defeated Ganon once again, but somehow even more fulfilling, laying contentedly next to each other on the bed.  
We laid there for several long moments in pure bliss as we let each other feel the full effects of what we’d just done. Finally, after awhile, Link managed to roll himself off of me, landing on his side of the bed. It took several minutes for us to finally catch our breath. When we’d regained a bit more of our senses, he looked over at me.  
“How’s your head?”  
After a moment of consideration, I couldn’t help but break out into a laugh. “I still can’t hardly feel anything. Especially after that.”  
He began to laugh along with me, shaking his head. “I still can’t believe I made you _that_ angry.”  
“Well, that’s just the effect you have on a woman,” I shrugged teasingly, scooting myself over to his side. He opened his arms to me and wrapped me against his chest. When I sat up to kiss him, though, I felt a rush of pain as my head adjusted to the change in altitude.  
“There it is,” he murmured, reaching up to push my hair from my face. “All right. Let me get up and grab you something for it. Lay back down and take it easy.”  
“Mmkay,” I said thankfully, cringing as I started to rub the area of my scalp that I’d bumped into the wall.  
He sat up and threw his trousers and wrinkled tunic back on, wiping his face briskly onto his sleeve. “Do I need to get anything else?”  
“Not that I can think of.”  
“All right, love. Sit tight and I’ll be back in a few.”  
He unlocked the bedroom door and plodded out into the tavern hall, leaving me to still comprehend what all had just happened. At the same time, though, I felt completely at peace.  
I reached down and grabbed my gown, wiping the thin layer of perspiration off of my skin. We’d definitely have to shower in the morning. Still, feeling an odd sort of serenity in my soul, I repositioned myself comfortably back on the bed, wondering just what might happen.

Link returned a few minutes later, carrying a bag of ice and a few glasses of water, along with what I assumed was some sort of pain supplement. He came over and set everything down on my nightstand, taking a seat on my bedside as he began to take care of me.  
“You know,” he began, positioning the ice pack to sit comfortably against my head, “I’m going to have to propose to you after that.”  
“You say that every time.”  
“Because you remind me about it every time,” he laughed, reaching over to inspect the pain medicine he’d been offered. “Still, you know that I—“  
“So marry me, then.” My voice became a lot quieter than I had expected. Still, I forced myself to continue, determined not to let my brief moment of courage pass. “If you want, I mean.”  
“I—your—the— _what?”_ He stammered, cheeks flushing red at the proposition. “How hard did you hit your head?”  
“Not as hard as you think.”  
“So you’re really—you mean—“  
“Of course I do.”  
He looked at me shyly, still cutely as flustered as could be. “Well, I mean it, too. But I-I was just—uh—well—“ Cutting himself off, he made himself take a deep breath, and continued. “I was waiting for the right moment.”  
I couldn’t help but start to laugh at the thought of this. “Link, you could ask me to marry you while in the middle of taking a shit and I’d say yes.”  
Surprised, he broke out into hearty laughter himself. “Well, if I’d known that, I would’ve called you into the washroom earlier tonight.”  
As our laughter settled, we spent several moments just looking at each other, somehow able to understand exactly what we were each thinking. A minute later, I reached down and took his hand in my own, and at some point, he reached over and grabbed the sack of ice, positioning to where it sat comfortably on the sore part of my head.  
“Link,” I murmured after a bit, tracing his rough knuckles with my thumb. “I should tell you something.”  
“Hm?”  
Unable to help myself, I started to giggle again as I spoke. “Murphy is gay.”  
Link’s expression slowly turned increasingly more bitter. I only continued to laugh more and more loudly.  
“He was actually, uh, checking you out for m-most of the night.”  
“You can’t be serious,” he said, now starting to look straight up rueful. “I thought he was into you—“  
“Oh, he _loved_ my dress, and figured that only an experienced dancer would know to wear the shoes I did. We spent most of the time giggling about you between chats about the Sheikah.”  
“Zelda!” Link whined, turning completely red in the face all over again. “You should have told me! I wouldn’t have been so—“  
“You never really gave me a chance! Besides,” I said, pulling his hands from his eyes as he cutely attempted to hide his embarrassment from me. “You only proved that what I told him was true.”  
He finally opened a space between two of his fingers, peeking at me timidly. “Which was. . . ?”  
“That you're mine, my dear!” I chimed teasingly, pulling him over to peck his pouting lips. He begrudgingly deepened the kiss, letting me lean further into him as I spoke. “Completely and utterly _mine!”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M BACK, Y'ALL.
> 
> (But not for long.)
> 
> So, this semester has kind of been a continuous shitshow. It's taken me this long to even put out this chapter. (But never fear--I have a _list_ of ideas for upcoming chapters!) 
> 
> That being said, I wanted to give you guys something a bit out of the ordinary as a thank you for being so patient with me. Normally, I'm not one to write so explicitly, but I thought it was time to throw y'all a bone. Hope it wasn't too bad. (And if I'm being completely honest, I spent the majority of the time while writing looking like [this](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CgfChXTUIAAlyXE.jpg) at my computer. Yikes.)
> 
> But anyway. THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH for your patience. I really can't express how thankful I am to have so many of y'all that have stuck with me and our two lovebird for so long. (Fifteen whole chapters!!!) And I can promise you that as soon as finals are up, I will be heading straight to the drafting board for some big things that are happening very soon. ;)
> 
> A few notes. . .
> 
> Here's my reference for [Zelda's gown](http://media.liveauctiongroup.net/i/11038/11436906_1.jpg?v=8CE71413133A620) in this chapter.
> 
> And here's [Link's tunic!](https://i.pinimg.com/736x/b4/50/72/b4507237b8554d64486a27cec58ef94f--tunics-elf.jpg)
> 
> Also, Zelda was definitely doing some [Riverdance](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HgGAzBDE454) moves. Check them out here if you're interested.
> 
> All right, everybody. . . Thanks so much again, and I hope you enjoyed it!
> 
> SEE YOU SOON!!! :)


	16. Update!!!

Hey there, folks!!! I'm back with a quick update for y'all.

I have NOT left this to die. Please just understand that I have had a ton of shit thrown at me in the past year, and I've been trying to survive, not to mention trying to write this fic.

HOWEVER.

That has also given me ample time to decide a few things, as are listed below.

1\. I will be rewriting and reworking much of everything in this fic. Since I've been writing this over such a stretch of time, I've found a lot of things that need editing to improve the overall consistency and quality. That being said, chapters that have NOT been updated will be notated with an asterisk (*) next to the title. Stay on the lookout, as I might have updated, but just in previous entries!

2\. I'll be changing the perspectives of the writing. I've really enjoyed working specifically from Z's point-of-view, given that we see so little of it in the games as a whole; however, after much deliberation, I think that switching between the perspectives of both Zelda AND Link will make this experience much more dynamic and enjoyable! :)

3\. Right now, I am absolutely swamped with schoolwork. I've been writing the next true update for months now, but because of how significant the next few bits of plot have been, I've actually had a lot of trouble deciding how I want to go about it. (Specifically: I've written three different stories for the same chapter and don't like any of them. Go figure.) So, please be patient. I really hate that I've had to rely on y'all's patience for so long at this point, but I'm truly trying to make sure that it will be worth the wait.

Anyway. . . you all shall see your lovely couple back at it very soon. Thank y'all so much for sticking with me. It means the world to me that so many people can enjoy something that I love so much. 

À bientôt! :)


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